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What We're Reading: Medicare Rates; ACA Support Grows; Opposition to Gottlieb
Medicare Rates Increase Higher Than Expected
Insurers will receive a payment increase of 0.45% next year, which is higher than the expected 0.25% increase. According to The Wall Street Journal, the increase will benefit insurers offering private plans through Medicare Advantage. America’s Health Insurance Plans responded to the news with a call for more flexibility in the program, which covers 18.5 million Americans, or one-third of the total Medicare population.
Support for ACA Grows
For the first time, a majority of Americans now support the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A Gallup poll found 55% of Americans approve of the ACA, up from 42% in November 2016. TIME reported that only 26% want to keep the law unchanged, while a larger proportion (40%) want to make significant changes to the law, but don’t think the ACA should be repealed.
Opposition to Gottlieb
Today, Scott Gottlieb, MD, the nominee to head the FDA, will testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at a confirmation hearing. However, 2 senators have come out as publicly opposing Gottlieb, reported The Wall Street Journal. They cite Gottlieb’s past ties with drug companies and his desire to speed up approvals, which could benefit those companies he has received money from in the past. Gottlieb has said he will divest himself of financial interests that raise ethical concerns and recuse himself from decisions involving more than 20 companies.
The Impact of Nurse Practitioner Attribution in Medicare Shared Savings ACOs
December 5th 2023Allowing nurse practitioners to serve as attribution-eligible providers for Medicare Shared Savings Program accountable care organizations leads to no change in hierarchical condition category risk scores and modest growth in attributed beneficiaries.
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Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Thyme Care CEO and Cofounder Robin Shah
October 2nd 2023Robin Shah, CEO of Thyme Care, which he founded in 2020 with Bobby Green, MD, president and chief medical officer, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, to discuss his evolution as an entrepreneur in oncology care innovation and his goal of positively changing how patients experience the cancer system.
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Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Dr Debra Patt of Texas Oncology
August 1st 2023Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, for episode 2 of our newest podcast, "Oncology Onward: Conversations With Innovators and Changemakers in Cancer Care."
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HMO and EPO Insurance Plans More Likely to Promote Use of Biosimilars
November 21st 2023Health plan type highly influences the likelihood of biosimilar uptake, with low-flexibility insurance plans more likely to have patients who either switched to a biosimilar or were initiated on a biosimilar.
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What We’re Reading: UnitedHealth Lawsuit; Fentanyl Crackdown; Global Heat Deaths Increase
November 15th 2023A class action lawsuit was filed against UnitedHealth Group and a subsidiary for allegedly using an algorithm to deny rehabilitation coverage for seriously ill patients; US and China officials are finalizing an agreement to crack down on fentanyl; a study published Tuesday projected global heat deaths to increase by 370% if no action is taken against global warming.
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