Election overview: Some specific outcomes are explained below. As of this writing, the Republicans have narrowly captured the House. The Senate, however could end up in a 50-50 split, depending on the Georgia runoff in December.
The implications for healthcare are, as usual, uncertain. The House Republicans may not do much of anything beyond trying to impeach the President and hold hearings about the (post-Trump) handling of Covid.
Even if both houses flip “red”, the President still has a veto that cannot be overridden, as well as the power of executive orders.
For now…wait and see.
About Covid-19
COVID-19 cases to jump 39% by Nov. 17, Mayo forecasts “COVID-19 cases are projected to increase by nearly 40 percent over the next two weeks, though it's still unclear whether hospitalizations and deaths may follow suit in November, according to national disease modeling.”
Comparative Risk of Myocarditis/Pericarditis Following Second Doses of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 Coronavirus Vaccines Myocarditis/pericarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is rare, but we observed a 2- to 3-fold higher odds among individuals who received mRNA-1273 [Moderna] vs BNT162b2 [Pfizer/BioNTech]. The rate of myocarditis following mRNA-1273 receipt is highest among younger men (age 18-39 years) and does not seem to be present at older ages. Our findings may have policy implications regarding the choice of vaccine offered.”
About health insurance/insurers
Person-Centered Innovation – An Update on the Implementation of the CMS Innovation Center’s Strategy
”In October 2021, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) launched a renewed vision focused on five objectives to support and help execute CMS’ vision and priorities . This report provides an update on the Innovation Center's progress in the implementation of the new strategy, describes areas of focus for the coming year, and begins the process of measuring progress against the five objectives.”
The five objectives are:
DRIVE ACCOUNTABLE CARE
ADVANCE HEALTH EQUITY
SUPPORT INNOVATION
ADDRESS AFFORDABILITY
PARTNER TO ACHIEVE SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION”
For the media’s take on this document, see: Medicare eyes changes to pay for specialty care
Cigna: Tracking 'vitality' is the key to measuring whole-person health “Cigna's Evernorth has launched a new index aimed at tracking patients' vitality, which the company is touting as the ‘next-generation measure of health.’
Evernorth said it's calculating vitality using eight elements of health: physical, spiritual, emotional, environmental, social, occupational, financial and intellectual. The index also accounts for how people feel about their own ability to manage their life across those factors, or their autonomy, relatedness and competence, Cigna said.”
The highest score is for those over 65 and the lowest is for those 18-24.
South Dakota votes to expand Medicaid “South Dakota voters on Tuesday approved a measure to expand the state’s Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.
The program, which takes effect in July and is expected to cover more than 40,000 people, passed with about 56 percent support.”
Oscar Health largely abandons Medicare Advantage “Oscar Health has largely abandoned its Medicare Advantage business, opting to focus on ACA exchange plans, CEO Mario Schlosser told investors on a Nov. 9 call.
Mr. Schlosser said the company has exited MA markets in New York and Texas. The company's lone remaining plan is a partnership with Holy Cross Health and Memorial Healthcare system in Broward County, Fla.”
Do check the financials. Revenues and membership are up, loss ratio is down; however expenses are up.
If companies can’t make money on Medicare advantage, something is wrong with management.
Assessment of Immigrants’ Premium and Tax Payments for Health Care and the Costs of Their Care “Question Do insurers and US government programs pay more for the care of immigrants than immigrants contribute to the health care system in insurance premiums and taxes?
Findings In this cross-sectional analysis of 210 669 respondents to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and the Current Population Survey, immigrants contributed $58.3 billion more in premiums and taxes in 2017 than insurers and government paid for their health care, and US-born citizens incurred a net deficit of $67.2 billion. Undocumented immigrants accounted for most (89.0%) of the surplus.”
From an accompanying editorial: The broad strokes of this analysis are (1) immigrants generally use fewer health care services than similar US-born citizens and therefore have lower medical expenditures, and (2) immigrants typically pay taxes and health insurance premiums like most citizens, but (3) federal policies make it more difficult for many immigrants, particularly undocumented immigrants, to receive governmental health assistance from programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces.”
Another myth about immigration debunked.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
Mass General Brigham turning away offensive, violent patients under new 'Patient Code of Conduct' “Mass General Brigham (MGB) unveiled the new policy last week in an email notice to existing patients and an update to its online resources for patients and visitors. Physical copies of the policy will also be posted in MGB hospitals…
The notices outlined five specific examples of patient, family, visitor or research participant behaviors that will no longer be tolerated at its care locations:
Offensive comments about others’ race, accent, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other personal traits
Refusal to see a clinician or other staff member based on these personal traits
Physical or verbal threats and assaults
Sexual or vulgar words or actions
Disrupting another patient’s care or experience
MGB said patients believed to have violated the code will have a chance to plead their case before we make any decisions about future care at [MGB].’”
About pharma
Statins may prevent people from losing eyesight in later life “Experts, led by a team from University Hospital Bonn in Germany, examined 14 studies involving almost 40,000 people from the UK, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Russia.
They found that people taking statins were 15% less likely to go on to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD).”
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Escitalopram for the Treatment of Adults With Anxiety Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial “Question Is mindfulness-based stress reduction noninferior to escitalopram for the treatment of anxiety disorders?
Findings In this randomized clinical trial of 276 adults with anxiety disorders, 8-week treatment with mindfulness-based stress reduction was noninferior to escitalopram.”
Amazon Pharmacy is scooping up payer contracts A good summary about how this Amazon business is expanding.
About the public’s health
California bans flavored tobacco products, including vapes “The move makes California by far the largest state to ban such products, which are already illegal in a smattering of smaller states, including Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Regulators have targeted flavored products in particular because they are overwhelmingly preferred by young people. More than 84% of young people who vape reported using flavored products, according to recently released survey data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Michigan, Vermont, and California affirm abortion rights, as Kentucky voters shoot down anti-abortion amendment “Voters in Kentucky shot down a proposal that would have explicitly denied abortion as a right in its constitution, though the procedure still remains all but banned in the state. In a closely watched fight in Michigan, voters passed a measure that would protect abortion access in the state constitution. Voters in California and Vermont also voted to codify abortion as a constitutional right, while in Montana, voters weighed in on a measure requiring care for fetus born alive after an abortion attempt. That measure was largely expected to pass but remains in close contention with 80% of votes counted.”
About healthcare IT
Hims & Hers bucks health tech's downward trend, boosts 2022 revenue guidance “The telehealth company, which sells prescription and over-the-counter drugs online as well as personal care products, reported better-than-expected revenue growth in the latest quarter, reporting its top line grew 95% to reach $144.8 million mostly due to its online business segment. The company's top line beat Wall Street estimates as analysts expected revenue of $130.3 million in the third quarter.
This was the company's third consecutive quarter posting more than $100 million in revenue.
Hims & Hers also netted 70,000 new subscribers during the quarter, bringing the total subscriber count to 991,000, up 80% year over year.”
About healthcare finance
Healthcare Dealmakers—UHG wraps up Change Healthcare deal; Rural systems eye 25-hospital merger and more A good review of activities in several health sectors.
Walgreens cuts AmerisourceBergen stake by $2 billion “The sale priced early Tuesday at $155.20 per share, a 4.2% discount from Monday’s closing trade, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named. AmerisourceBergen shares hit an intraday high on Friday, jumping the most in nearly two years on an outlook that surpassed Wall Street estimates.”
