- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We're Reading: The ACA Fails the Working Poor
What we're reading, January 5, 2016: A special report highlights how the working poor slip through the cracks of the Affordable Care Act; the FDA approved 51 drugs in 2015 with nearly half being first-in-class; and the Senate is expected to vote on President Obama's nomination for FDA commissioner next Tuesday.
Millions of Americans, the working poor, remain uninsured, especially if they live in one of the 20 states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid. A special report from USA Today examined how the Affordable Care Act affects these individuals and found that companies are getting around paying for insurance for workers by hiring contract workers. In addition, up to 20% of businesses have cut or plan to cut workers’ hours in order to avoid paying for their health benefits.
In 2015, the FDA approved 51 new drugs, which is the largest number since 1950. Notably, among those drugs approved were 20 first-in-class drugs. However, Forbes points out that this number from the FDA may be conservative, as 4 other drugs should merit first-in-class recognition. Including those drugs—Farydak, Unituxin, Kybella, and Natpara—would mean 47% of the drugs the FDA approved in 2015 were first-in-class.
On Tuesday, January 12, the Senate health committee will vote on President Obama’s nominee, Robert Califf, MD, to be the commissioner of the FDA. During hearings, some voiced concerns about his connections with drug companies. In particular, Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) said he would oppose the nomination. However, for the most part, Dr Califf’s nomination is expected to easily be approved, reported The Hill.
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.
Listen
Males With Hemophilia A Report Physical, Mental Burdens of Disease Regardless of Severity
April 25th 2024Self-reported data from adult and pediatric males with hemophilia A show that burden of the disease persists regardless of severity, highlighting a need for improved prophylactic treatment.
Read More
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.
Listen
Lack of Mutations Associated With Favorable Prognosis in MPN-U
April 25th 2024While the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System and bone marrow blasts may predict overall survival, the lack of certain mutations is also associated with a better prognosis for myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable (MPN-U).
Read More
