About health insurance
Why waiving cost-sharing for coronavirus tests may not actually solve cost barriers: Even though testing may be free, the cost of treatment may be prohibitive given high deductible or high out-of-pocket maximum plans.
California Cracks Down on Alternative Health Plans: “California state officials said on Tuesday they were ordering a major Christian group to stop offering an alternative to health insurance, joining several states scrutinizing these cost-sharing programs that provide limited coverage.
The plans, which have become increasingly popular, rely on pooling members’ contributions to cover their medical expenses, but they are not required to meet standards for traditional insurance plans.
The state’s insurance regulators accused Trinity HealthShare, which runs ministry plans, and Aliera, which sells them, of misleading consumers and offering products tantamount to health insurance policies without state approval.”
Part D Senior Savings Model: “Through the CMS Innovation Center, beginning January 1, 2021, CMS is testing a change where Part D sponsors that participate in the Model offer beneficiaries prescription drug plans that provide supplemental benefits for insulin in the coverage gap phase of the Part D benefit. Participating pharmaceutical manufacturers will pay the 70 percent discount in the coverage gap for the insulins that are included in the Model, but those manufacturer discount payments would now be calculated before the application of supplemental benefits under the Model.”
MedPAC to recommend eliminating 2.8% rate increase for surgery centers: “
“The panel, which advises lawmakers on Medicare payment policy, said that it will make the recommendation to Congress March 13, because it doesn't have enough cost data from the surgery centers.
MedPAC Chairman Francis J. Crosson said at a recent meeting that without cost data on items like drugs, medical supplies, medical equipment, labor costs, building expenses "it's very difficult for this commission to make a recommendation for increased payments."
About the public’s health
WHO: Coronavirus outbreak is a pandemic: It was not if bit when. The WHO was waiting for a larger spread to make this declaration.
WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2019: The World Meteorological association summarized the problems of climate change, including increases in global warming, greenhouse gasses, polar ice melting and ocean water levels.
Citing virus, US halts inspections of foreign drug plants: “The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday halted nearly all inspections of overseas plants that ship drugs, medical devices and other consumer goods to the U.S., citing the global spread of the coronavirus.
The agency announced it will postpone most foreign inspections scheduled through April, because of federal guidelines prohibiting travel for government workers. Last month, it postponed most inspections in China.
The FDA is responsible for ensuring that food, drugs, cosmetics, medical supplies and other U.S. imports are produced in safe, sanitary conditions that meet quality standards. Last year, it conducted more than 3,100 foreign inspections, according to agency records.” This pull back should exacerbate drug shortages.
Face masks in national stockpile have not been substantially replenished since 2009: “The H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009 triggered the largest deployment in U.S. history of the Strategic National Stockpile, the federal government’s last-resort cache of drugs and medical supplies. The stockpile distributed 85 million N95 respirators — fitted face masks that block most airborne particles — along with millions of other masks, gowns and gloves…
But the stockpile’s reserves were not significantly restored after the 2009 pandemic, in the view of industry and public health experts. With a limited budget of about $600 million annually, officials in charge of the stockpile focused on what they say was a more pressing priority: lifesaving drugs and equipment for diseases and disasters that emerged before the new coronavirus, which has no vaccine or specific anti-viral treatment.”
Short-Term Consumption of Sucralose with, but Not without, Carbohydrate Impairs Neural and Metabolic Sensitivity to Sugar in Humans: Sugar substitutes have been known to facilitate obesity but the mechanism has not been clear. This research found that “consuming seven sucralose-sweetened beverages with, but not without, a carbohydrate over 10 days decreases insulin sensitivity in healthy human participants, an effect that correlates with reductions in midbrain, insular, and cingulate responses to sweet, but not sour, salty, or savory, taste as assessed with fMRI. Taste perception was unaltered and consuming the carbohydrate alone had no effect. These findings indicate that consumption of sucralose in the presence of a carbohydrate rapidly impairs glucose metabolism and results in longer-term decreases in brain, but not perceptual sensitivity to sweet taste, suggesting dysregulation of gut-brain control of glucose metabolism.”
About pharma
Teva pads beyond-the-pill lineup with latest smart inhaler approval: “Teva is part of a wave of pharma companies adding digital enhancements to therapies as a way to not only extend product reach and relevance but also to collect data and feedback about real-world use.”
Don't Use Pricey New HIV PrEP Drug When Generics Available: Study: A common pharma company tactic is to launch a new version of an older drug before the latter goes generic. This research says the newer form of HIV prophylaxis is no better than the cheaper generic.
Biosimilar sales to reach $6.5B by 2024, study says: “Biosimilars should account for 2.5 percent of all biopharmaceutical sales by 2024, up from 1.5 percent in 2019…”
Statement from the Press Secretary: Recall President Trump’s opposition to House and bipartisan Senate proposals to lower drug costs. Here is The White House Press Secretary’s announcement of the President’s plans to reduce drug costs:
“Cap Medicare Part D beneficiary annual out-of-pocket pharmacy expenses;
Provide an option to cap Medicare Part D beneficiary monthly out-of-pocket pharmacy expenses;
Offer protection for seniors against the out-of-pocket cost cliff created by ObamaCare;
Give insurance companies an incentive to negotiate better prices for costly drugs; and
Limit drugmakers’ price increases.”
It is short on specifics and has many overlap points with existing bills.
About healthcare IT
Hackers using fake HIV test results, coronavirus emails to target healthcare companies: The “latest” in cyber schemes: “Cybercriminals are using fake HIV test results and coronavirus conspiracy theories to break into the computer systems of healthcare companies.
Researchers at enterprise security company Proofpoint found evidence that hackers were impersonating a top U.S. medical center and sending out fake HIV test result emails. The aim was to lure recipients into opening malicious content embedded into the message.”
Why is consumer digital health adoption stalling?: In this Accenture study, use by 2020 of mobile apps and wearable technology both dropped below 2018 levels. Worse than expected tech performance, low trust in the sector and high security concerns are among the reasons given for this decline.