About Covid-19
The federal government is offering another round of free COVID tests “Americans can once again order free COVID-19 tests from the federal government by visiting COVIDtests.gov. In this round, the U.S. Postal Service will deliver eight free rapid antigen tests to any household in the U.S. that wants them, according to the website. That brings to sixteen the total tests offered per household so far.”
About health insurance
Anthem, Inc. Shareholders Approve Corporate Rebranding to New Name, Elevance Health, Inc. “Shareholders approved the change of the holding company name Anthem, Inc. (ANTM) to Elevance Health, Inc. at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the company announced today.”
2022 Workforce Health Index Supplemental Dataset “This dataset provides an aggregate view of per member per year medical spend ($PMPY) at the state level for the prior four years, including a summary of the top five areas of spend by state.” US averages: 2018: $3,914; 2019: $4,192; 2020: $3,907; 2021: $4,248; 2022(est.): $4,232. But, the range is $5739 in Alaska to $1,422 in Hawaii.
Medicaid director owned stock in companies she awarded huge contracts “Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran won’t discuss them, but state ethics filings she submitted on Sunday showed that she continued to own stock in three huge health care companies last year — the same year she negotiated and signed billion-dollar contracts with their subsidiaries.”
About pharma
Pharma group wins order striking down patient assistance rule “The biggest U.S. drug industry group has won a court order striking down a federal rule meant to ensure that financial assistance offered by drugmakers to patients is not captured by insurers.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington, D.C. sided with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) on Tuesday in finding that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services overstepped its authority when it passed the rule in 2020…
In recent years, some insurers have established so-called accumulator adjustment programs, in which they do not count assistance toward patients' deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. Such programs effectively capture some of the assistance for insurers instead of patients.
In response, HHS's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in December 2020 adopted a rule that would require drugmakers to pay higher rebates to state Medicaid programs unless they ensure that patients are able to keep all financial assistance for themselves.
Drugmakers already have to pay rebates to Medicaid programs in order to reduce costs, based on the "best price" available for a drug on the commercial market. The rule, which was set to take effect in January 2023, would have required drugmakers to factor the effect of accumulator adjustment programs into their best price calculations.”
Cerebral Board Members Agree to Replace CEO Amid Federal Probe Into Prescription Practices In the continuing saga about this online behavioral health company, which is under federal investigation for online medication ordering (see pat postings): “Directors who control the board of Cerebral Inc. agreed on a plan to replace Chief Executive Kyle Robertson, sparking leadership tumult at the mental-health startup as it contends with scrutiny over its prescription practices for controlled substances, people familiar with the situation said Tuesday.”
About the public’s health
Food deserts reduce breastfeeding initiation Since infant formula has been in short supply, more attention is being directed at increased breast feeding. However, there are a number of systemic issues that need to be addressed before that goal is achieved. In a study presented at the recent ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting: “The researchers found that Black individuals had the highest risk for decreased initiation (aRR = 1.26), whereas Hispanic (aRR = 0.58) and Asian or Pacific Islander individuals (aRR = 0.74) had the lowest risk.
Lower education achievement was associated with decreased breastfeeding initiation (middle school: aRR = 5.42; high school: aRR = 3.46; some college: aRR = 1.95)… Education was the social factor most strongly associated with decreased breastfeeding initiation. A history of diabetes (aRR = 1.14) and preterm (aRR = 1.47) or low birth weight (aRR = 1.38) was also associated with reduced initiation, according to the researchers.”
Newly Released Estimates Show Traffic Fatalities Reached a 16-Year High in 2021 “NHTSA projects that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. The projection is the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history…
Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration show that vehicle miles traveled in 2021 increased by about 325 billion miles, or about 11.2%, as compared to 2020.
Data estimates show the fatality rate for 2021 was 1.33 fatalities per 100 million VMT [vehicle miles traveled], marginally down from 1.34 fatalities in 2020. While the fatality rate continued to rise in the first quarter, it declined in the other three quarters of 2021, compared to 2020.”
Rare monkeypox case confirmed in Massachusetts “Massachusetts health authorities confirmed a case of monkeypox Wednesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was monitoring the possible spread of the rare but potentially serious viral illness.
A man who recently traveled to Canada was tested for the virus Tuesday, and the infection was confirmed by the CDC on Wednesday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said in a statement.”
About healthcare personnel
Evolving Practice Choices by Newly Certified and More Senior General Internists “ 67,902 general internists, comprising 80% of all general internists initially certified from 1990 to 2017 (n = 84 581), were studied… By 2018, 71% of newly certified general internists practiced as hospitalists compared with only 8% practicing as outpatient-only physicians… [M]ore senior physicians increasingly see patients only in the outpatient setting.”
This study highlights one of the major reasons for the ever-growing crisis in availability of primary care physicians.