About health insurance
Judge blocks HHS from rolling back LGBT anti-discrimination protections:”A New York federal judge blocked the Department of Health and Human Services from lifting anti-discrimination protections for LGBT patients.
In June, HHS announced a finalized rule (PDF) to eliminate protections for transgender individuals provided under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). During the Obama administration, HHS announced it would bar providers that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of gender identity under a part of the ACA known as Section 1557.”
Pennie'-pinching states take over Obamacare exchanges from feds: “Pennsylvania is one of six states shifting in the next several years from the federal insurance exchange to run their own online marketplaces, which determine eligibility, assist with enrollment and connect buyers with insurance companies. They will join 12 states and the District of Columbia with self-contained exchanges.”
‘A Disconnect’: Insurer Sees Loophole In Trump Policy On Pooled Tests: “Insurers may have found a loophole in Congress' COVID-19 diagnostic testing coverage requirements: pooled test results. Trump administration officials have hailed pooling COVID-19 testing samples as a way to increase testing capacity while conserving supplies, but at least one insurer [Cigna] tried to exempt themselves from paying for any sort of pooled testing under a standard set in guidance from the Trump administration.”
Court Affirms CSR [Cost Sharing Reduction] Reimbursement, But Amount Still Questionable: This article is a good explanation/update of this issue. While the court ruled the CSR payments must be made, a “lower court will have to determine how much the government should pay in 2017 cost-sharing reduction reimbursement while accounting for 2018 premium tax credits.”
CMS Hikes Medicare Inpatient COVID-19 Payments 20%: The headline speaks for itself. To qualify for payments:
”Medicare patients must have a verifiable positive COVID-19 lab test within 14 days of admission, either at the hospital or before admission [and]
Only the results of viral testing (i.e., molecular or antigen) that are consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines can be used.”
Hospitals must repay Medicare for $100B pandemic lifeline: This total is only through May.
About the public’s health
Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Youth: An Important Marker of Health: The problem the article addresses is : Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) “is an important marker of physical and mental health and academic achievement in youth. However, only 40% of US youth are currently believed to have healthy CRF.”
Read the article for more information about interventions.
Association Between Bisphenol A Exposure and Risk of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in US Adults:”Bisphenol A (BPA) is a major public health concern because of its high-volume industrial production, ubiquitous exposure to humans, and potential toxic effects on multiple organs and systems in humans….
In this nationally representative cohort of US adults, higher BPA exposure was significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings in other populations and determine the underlying mechanisms.”
Racial Disproportionality in Covid Clinical Trials: The headline speaks for itself. The article contains more details. We know different populations respond differently to treatments, so the need for diversity is more than a social equity issue.
Coronavirus now third leading cause of death in U.S.: former CDC official: “As the coronavirus pandemic continues to hemorrhage 1,000 lives daily in the U.S., COVID-19 now ranks third for cause of death in this country.
The leading causes of death in the U.S. are heart disease and cancer, but COVID-19 is gaining fast, CNN reported Monday.”
How climate change could expose new epidemics: Read the article for more information about how climate change is enhancing the likelihood of new epidemics.
What if ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Closer Than Scientists Thought?: “In interviews with The New York Times, more than a dozen scientists said that the threshold is likely to be much lower: just 50 percent, perhaps even less. If that’s true, then it may be possible to turn back the coronavirus more quickly than once thought.”
Coronavirus Doctors Battle Another Scourge: Misinformation: “Doctors on the front lines of the global pandemic say they are fighting not just the coronavirus, but also increasingly combating a never-ending scourge of misinformation about the disease that is hurting patients.”
About pharma
5 biggest FDA drug approvals of 2020: Read the article for the list.
Merck plans to build £1bn UK research hub in central London: The headline speaks for itself.
U.S. states seek $2.2 trillion from OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma: filings: “U.S. states claimed they are owed $2.2 trillion to address harm from OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP’s alleged role in America’s opioid epidemic, accusing the drugmaker in new filings of pushing prescription painkillers on doctors and patients while playing down the risks of abuse and overdose.
In filings made as part of Purdue’s bankruptcy proceedings that were disclosed on Monday, the states said Purdue, backed by the wealthy Sackler family, contributed to a public health crisis that has claimed the lives of roughly 450,000 people since 1999 and caused strains on healthcare and criminal justice systems. The filings cited more than 200,000 deaths in the U.S. tied directly to prescription opioids between 1999 and 2016.”
Moderna stands to earn $300M for quick vaccine approval, up to $6.6B for extra doses: filing: “Moderna's coronavirus vaccine deal with the U.S., announced last week with a $1.525 billion price tag, would be worth far more if all options are exercised—and if the mRNA biotech meets an aggressive timeline for the shot's arrival.
The company stands to gain up to a whopping $8.125 billion, according to a Moderna securities filing that details the price for follow-up doses and the windfall for an early FDA approval.
The base agreement calls for 100 million doses of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, for $1.225 billion. But the drugmaker is eligible for a $300 million bonus if it’s able to score an FDA emergency use authorization or full approval by Jan. 31, the filing shows. “
Teva funneled kickbacks through copay assistance charities for MS med Copaxone: DOJ: “Federal prosecutors accused Teva in a new lawsuit of paying kickbacks to two patient copay assistance charities as part of a scheme to pump up prescriptions of multiple sclerosis med Copaxone, Reuters reported.
The filing in a Boston district courthouse alleged the company paid more than $300 million to those third-party organizations and defrauded Medicare of "hundreds of millions" in reimbursements, Reuters said.”
About healthcare IT
HHS chief information officer abruptly resigns: “HHS' chief information officer, José Arrieta, resigned unexpectedly Friday.
Arrieta told senior leaders that he would stay on for up to a month to help with the transition, said two individuals with knowledge of his plans. He departs just four months after the department stood up the public data sharing hub HHS Protect, and a little over a year since he took over as chief information officer.”
COVID-19 data will go back to CDC when 'revolutionary new data system' is complete, Dr. Deborah Birx says: COVID-19 data reporting responsibility will transition back to the CDC, Deborah Birx, MD, White House coronavirus task force coordinator said at a roundtable discussion on Aug. 17.
CNN reported that during the discussion, hosted by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Dr. Birx referred to the current COVID-19 reporting system as an "interim system" focused on gathering daily reports from hospitals. In July, the federal government updated the COVID-19 data reporting process, requiring hospitals to send data directly to HHS instead of the CDC.”
About healthcare quality
CMS Announces Resumption of Routine Inspections of All Provider and Suppliers…: “Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will resume routine inspections of all Medicare and Medicaid certified providers and suppliers to improve the safety and quality of life of patients and residents. CMS had previously suspended certain routine inspections as part of its response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to prioritize infection control and immediate jeopardy situations and to give health care providers and suppliers time needed to respond to the spread of COVID-19.”
ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Launch New Patient Safety Organization: “Leaders of ECRI and its affiliate, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), announce the launch of a joint Patient Safety Organization (PSO), an important step in making medication, medical devices, and healthcare practices safer for patients across all care settings, now during the COVID-19 pandemic, and into the future. The nonprofit organizations had each been federally designated PSOs since the program began in 2008…
By combining their two PSOs, ECRI and ISMP create one of the largest patient safety entities in the world. ECRI has more than 3.5 million analyzed events, including 10,000 related to COVID-19, submitted by the nation's most respected health systems and providers across all care settings. ISMP is the worldwide leader in determining system-based causes of medication errors across the continuum of care, disseminating lessons learned, and creating impactful change in practice.”
About emerging science
Protein Produced by the Nervous System May Help Treatments for Inflammatory Diseases: “A Rutgers-led team may have found the key to treating inflammatory diseases like asthma, allergies, chronic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
In a study published in the journal Nature Immunology, researchers discovered that neuromedin B (NMB), a protein produced by the nervous system, was responsible for preventing overactive immune responses and damaging inflammation.”
About diagnostics
Researchers at Facebook AI, NYU Langone Push Speed Limits of MRI: The results of the joint effort, which originated at Facebook, show that accurate MRIs can be produced more quickly as AI functions with less data, researchers said…
’Our goal is a five-minute MRI. This has the potential to be a new paradigm,’ he said. ‘We really want to improve patient care.’”