CBO Won’t Fully Score Latest Repeal Effort Before Vote
With just 12 days to vote on a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act before reconciliation rules expire, the Senate likely won’t see a full assessment of the Cassidy-Graham bill. According to Politico, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will only have a “bare-bones” assessment that will include basic budgetary estimates. However, there will not be enough time for the CBO to estimate coverage implications of the bill or effects on insurance premiums. Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) has already announced he will not vote for the bill, which means Senate Republicans can only afford to lose 1 more vote and still pass the bill.
Grading the World’s Health
Progress on global health in 18 indicators has been great, according to a report card from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The report assessed progress on indicators including infant mortality, AIDS, vaccine use, smoking rates, and more. While there has been progress, the Gateses warn that donor fatigue could become an issue, and that deep cuts in global aid from the United States cannot be covered by other countries and private charities. The report card, called Goalkeepers, was 3 years in the making and will be issued annually.
Call for Nonaddictive Pain Medications
A meeting between the White House opioid commission and pharmaceutical companies has led to an agreement on a way to combat the opioid addiction epidemic. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who chairs the commission, announced that drug makers will work to develop nonaddictive pain medications and treatments to deal with opioid addiction, reported AP. While there is agreement that nonaddictive medications should be created, there is no timeline for when they might reach market.
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Dr Dalia Rotstein: Physicians Must Be Aware MS Affects People of All Backgrounds
April 24th 2024Dalia Rotstein, MD, MPH, emphazises the importance of awareness that multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts patients from various backgrounds as clinicians think through ways to improve access to care and research efforts in MS.
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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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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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Award-Winning Poster Presentations From AMCP 2024
April 23rd 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, multiple poster presentations concerned with health equity, data collection, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, and more were acknowledged for their originality, relevance, clarity, bias, and quality.
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