About pharma
Canadian ambassador says drug imports would not lower U.S. prices: In order to take advantage of lower foreign drug prices, the supply for importation needs to be adequate. That means the pharma companies need to ship a surplus to those countries from which we will reimport the products. Guess what? The supply is not adequate, at least from Canada.
White House distances itself from Pelosi plan to lower drug prices: Congressional drug price-reduction efforts are complicated. The House has a Pelosi proposal and the Senate has its own bipartisan plan. The White House is leaning to the Senate version.
About healthcare IT
The Predictive Performance of Objective Measures of Physical Activity Derived From Accelerometry Data for 5-Year All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults: National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2003–2006: This paper concludes that objective data from accelerometers predict mortality rates 30-40% better than standard historical measures like tobacco use or stroke or cancer diagnoses.
About the public’s health
Proposed HHS rule would strip Obama-era protections for LGBTQ individuals: “Citing concerns about religious freedom, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Friday proposed a new rule that would effectively eliminate discrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals in all its grant programs.
The most immediate impact would likely be on the nation’s $7 billion federally funded child-welfare system, including foster care and adoption programs.”
About hospitals and health systems
Trump Administration Delays Rule Forcing Hospital-Cost Transparency: “The Trump administration is delaying a rule that would require hospitals to share secret, negotiated rates because officials said they are working to expand the plan to include insurers.” The problems of disclosure will not get any easier, since prices depend on the insurance plan specifics.
About health insurance
State reinsurance programs reduce premiums nearly 17% in first year of operation: Avalere: State plans that offer reinsurance to payers have lowered premiums. This outcome should not come as a surprise, since the lower risk for catastrophic claims allows insurers to reduce premiums. The question is what happens to overall costs of such schemes.
Five things to know about Warren's 'Medicare for All' funding plan: She finally gave some funding specifics. No, there is not a middle class tax increase. But many are skeptical if the other means to raise money are enough to fund the “just under $52 trillion over 10 years, including $20.5 trillion in new federal spending.” Read the article for more details.
Court blocks plan to deny visas to would-be immigrants who can't afford health insurance: The headline speaks for itself.
Window Shopping And Updates On HealthCare.gov: Now that enrollment is open for 2020 coverage, HealthCare.gov is offering some new features to help consumers choose the right plan, including costs and quality ratings.
CMS releases final site neutral and other payment rules: Despite a United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruling, CMS has issued its site neutral payment policy and 340B plan reductions. (Read the article and previous posts for more background about both issues.)
Association Between Switching to a High-Deductible Health Plan and Discontinuation of Type 2 Diabetes Treatment: What is the effect of switching to a high deductible plan on usage of diabetic medication? Keep in mind that patients can use funds in their Health Savings Accounts to pay for expenses before the deductible is met. The answer is not straightforward: “This study showed that the association between HDHP enrollment and antihyperglycemic medication refills and subsequent discontinuation is mixed. Although no statistically significant differences in rates of discontinuation of antihyperglycemic treatment were found, the findings suggest a tendency toward switching to less costly treatment options.” If the outcome is switching to less costly options, then theses plans will have fulfilled their economic incentive-driven purpose.