The White House Is Supporting Right to Try Law
A law that would give terminally ill patients easier access to medicines that are not yet FDA approved has the support of President Donald Trump, according to The Wall Street Journal. Supporters of the bill also met with Vice President Mike Pence. Trump has asserted that the many FDA rules cause unnecessary barriers to drugs getting approved. The FDA has a compassionate use program for people with terminal illnesses, but proponents of the Right to Try law contend that FDA rules get in the way of compassionate access.
Paul Ryan: ACA Replacement by End of Year
There has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the current status of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). According to Reuters, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, has said a replacement for the healthcare law would be completed by the end of 2017. This announcement comes on the heels of Trump saying in an interview that replacing the ACA may take until next year. Getting Representative Tom Price, R-Georgia, confirmed as HHS secretary is an important step toward replacing the ACA, Ryan said.
Organizations Express Support for Vaccine Safety
More than 350 organizations have sent a letter expressing their support for the safety of vaccines to the president, who has embraced claims that discredit vaccine safety and has met with anti-vaccine groups. The Washington Post reported that the letter outlines the benefits of vaccines and states that claims vaccines are unsafe have been disproven in the medical literature. The 350 organizations that signed the letter include medical, advocacy, and professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the Children’s Defense Fund, and the March of Dimes.
What We’re Reading: Abortion Privacy Rules; Alzheimer Drug Hurdles; Nursing Home Staffing Overhaul
April 23rd 2024New health privacy rules aim to protect patients and providers in an evolving abortion landscape; some physicians express concerns about efficacy, risks, and entrenched beliefs in treating Alzheimer disease; CMS addresses longstanding staffing deficits in nursing homes.
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Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
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Survey Results Reveal Potential Factors Slowing the Decline in Cardiovascular Mortality Rate
April 23rd 2024Research indicated that worsened glycemic, blood pressure, and obesity control, as well as increased alcohol consumption, leveled lipid control, and persistent socioeconomic disparities may have contributed to the decelerated cardiovascular mortality decline in recent years.
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Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
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