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What We're Reading: Soda Tax Results; Blocking Drug Imports; UnitedHealth Profits After ACA Exit
The Results of Berkeley’s Soda Tax
The soda tax in Berkeley, California, successfully made residents switch from sugary drinks to healthier options. California Healthline reported that there was a nearly 10% drop in sugary drink sales just 1 year after the tax was enacted. Meanwhile, sales of bottled water were up nearly 16%. In 2014, voters agreed to a 1-cent-per-fluid-ounce tax on sugary drinks. While the tax doesn’t sound like much, the study results show it had an impact, according to the study’s lead author.
Campaigning Against Drug Imports
A nonprofit with ties to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is running a campaign to prevent drug imports. An analysis by Kaiser Health News found that one-third of groups involved with the nonprofit, the Partnership for Safe Medicines, have received PhRMA funding. The partnership had previously been led by a senior vice president at PhRMA. The ad campaign warns about potential dangers of importing drugs from Canada.
UnitedHealth Announces Profits After ACA Exit
After UnitedHealth pulled back on its involvement in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces, it was able to report that revenue and profits increased. The Wall Street Journal reported that UnitedHealth is calling for a repeal of the ACA’s health insurer tax and more flexible state-based markets. The company has exited nearly all of the ACA exchanges for 2017.
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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New TROPiCS-02 Data Back Sacituzumab Govitecan for Older Patients With Breast Cancer
December 9th 2023This phase 3 study investigated sacituzumab govitecan, a Trop-2–directed antibody-drug conjugate, vs treatment of physician’s choice in pretreated patients who have endocrine-resistant hormone receptor–positive/HER2-negative breast cancer, the most common form of breast cancer.
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Insufficient Data, Disparities Plague Lung Cancer Risk Factor Documentation
September 24th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the senior author of a study published in the September 2023 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® on the importance of adequate and effective lung cancer risk factor documentation to determine a patient's eligibility for screening.
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Patients With RA in Remission Withdrawing From TNF Inhibition Show Flare Increases
December 8th 2023New data presented at ACR 2023 highlighted the differences in rates of flares and Boolean 2.0 remission rates compared to patients with rheumatoid arthritis who continued a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi).
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