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What We're Reading: Obamacare, Not Economy, Drove Insurance Coverage Gains
What we're reading, March 22, 2016: the reduction of the uninsured rate was driven mostly by the Affordable Care Act, not economic recovery; heart disease rates dropped; and participation in meaningful use program declines.
Gains in the number of Americans with health insurance is mostly a result of the Affordable Care Act, not the recovering economy, new evidence shows. Government surveys have found that while the uninsured rate has dropped to 9%, there has been a lackluster rebound in employer-based covered, reported AP. The news may make some Republicans hesitant about discussing repealing the law, but others note that Obamacare could still be replaced with a different approach that does not restrict access to care or increase the amount of uninsured Americans.
While heart disease rates have declined in the US, there are large regional variations when it comes to progress. According to Reuters, the region with the highest rates of heart disease is no longer the Northeast—the South now claims the title. Although every 3000 counties of the 48 continuous states all saw a decline in heart disease deaths—the average decline across the US was 61%—heart disease still remains the leading cause of death in the US.
Participation in the meaningful use program has declined despite changes to the program. From 2014 to 2015 more than 100 hospitals dropped out of the incentive program and provider participation fell by more than 2000, reported Bloomberg BNA. Last year, CMS had even published new rules to ease the program’s requirements, but it may be CMS’ frequent and late-stage changes to the program that has frustrated some participants.
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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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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Collecting SDOH Data Can Assess Risk of Medical Nonadherence, Improve HEI and Star Ratings
April 18th 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, a panel of presenters explored changes coming to Medicare that incorporate social determinants of health (SDOH) data to improve patient and health system outcomes.
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Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
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Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Commonwealth Fund Report Details Pervasive Racial and Ethnic Disparities in US Health Care, Outcomes
April 18th 2024Using 25 health system performance indicators, the Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report evaluated racial and ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes both within and across US states and highlighted the urgent need for equitable health care policies and practices in the US.
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