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What We're Reading: Medicaid Premiums Go Unpaid; GOP Weighs CSR Move; New Ideas in Rural Health
Thousands of people in 5 states are not paying monthly premiums towards their Medicaid benefits; the House GOP is considering a complicated, multistep budget maneuver regarding Affordable Care Act cost-sharing reductions; a report says it's time to reimagine what healthcare could look like in rural America.
Few on Mediciaid Pay Monthly Premiums Towards Care
In Arkansas, few Medicaid enrollees are paying new $13 monthly premiums, which apply only to recipients whose earnings surpass the poverty level, according to Kaiser Health News. Tens of thousands of Medicaid enrollees in 4 other states that added premiums during the past 4 years—Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, and Montana—are also not paying, according to state records. Republicans in favor of the premiums say it will incentivize healthy living, and in surveys beneficiaries agree with the concept of paying towards their care, although advocates opposed to the premium payments said findings are not surprising and call the payments a barrier to care.
House GOP Mulls Cost-Sharing Reduction Budget Maneuver
House Republican leaders are weighing a controversial, multistep plan that would have the Budget Committee direct the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to take Affordable Care Act cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) out of its baseline for projecting federal spending, The Hill reported. The CBO would stop assuming that the CSRs payments would be made. But if they subsequently proposed making the CSR payments, the CBO would then score the proposal as saving money. Those savings could then be used to pay for reinsurance to bring down premiums.
Time to Reimagine Rural Healthcare Report Says
More rural hospitals are closing, and some health policy analysts say it's time communities start thinking about changing healthcare structure in small towns, NPR reported. Citing a recent report by the Bipartisan Policy Center, some communities should consider what kind of primary care and more specialized care they could offer at a smaller facility instead, instead of having a full-service hospital. But losing rural hospitals would also mean the loss of jobs and hurt local economies, NPR noted.
Early Involvement Critical in Treating Immunotherapy-Induced Overlap Syndrome
April 19th 2024A series of case studies reveals the importance of early diagnosis and involvement of special teams of clinicians when dealing with potential cases of overlap syndrome, which encompasses myocarditis, myasthenia gravis, and immune checkpoint inhibitor–related myositis.
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Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
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Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
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Government agencies have created an online portal for the public to report potential anticompetitive practices in health care; there are changes coming to the “boxed warning” section for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies (CAR T) to highlight T-cell blood cancer risk; questions about the safety of obesity medications during pregnancy have arisen in women on them who previously struggled with fertility issues.
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Real-World Study Reveals Key Insights Into DLBCL Treatment Patterns, Outcomes
April 18th 2024A recent study offers valuable insights into the characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in patients across different lines of therapy, providing a look into the landscape of DLBCL management.
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