U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2022: Accelerating Spending, Worsening Outcomes
Latest international comparisons from The Commonwealth Fund. The headline sums it up.
“Highlights
—Health care spending, both per person and as a share of GDP, continues to be far higher in the United States than in other high-income countries. Yet the U.S. is the only country that doesn’t have universal health coverage.
—The U.S. has the lowest life expectancy at birth, the highest death rates for avoidable or treatable conditions, the highest maternal and infant mortality, and among the highest suicide rates.
—The U.S. has the highest rate of people with multiple chronic conditions and an obesity rate nearly twice the OECD average.
—Americans see physicians less often than people in most other countries and have among the lowest rate of practicing physicians and hospital beds per 1,000 population.
—Screening rates for breast and colorectal cancer and vaccination for flu in the U.S. are among the highest, but COVID-19 vaccination trails many nations.”
About Covid-19
$5.4 billion in covid aid may have gone to firms using suspect Social Security numbers “The U.S. government may have awarded roughly $5.4 billion in coronavirus aid to small businesses with potentially ineligible Social Security numbers, offering the latest indication that Washington’s haste earlier in the pandemic opened the door for widespread waste, fraud and abuse.
The top watchdog overseeing stimulus spending — called the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, or PRAC — offered the estimate in an alert issued Monday and shared early with The Washington Post. It came as House Republicans prepared to hold their first hearing this week to study the roughly $5 trillion in federal stimulus aid approved since spring 2020.”
5 impacts of ending COVID emergency “1) Reduced Medicaid & CHIP health coverage 2) Telehealth more difficult 3) Reduced access to free tests & treatments 4) Hobbles CDC surveillance 5) Public messaging undermined”
About health insurance/insurers
Feds expect to collect $4.7B in insurance fraud penalties More on yesterday’s CMS audit announcements regarding Medicare Advantage plans.
"The Biden administration estimated Monday that it could collect as much as $4.7 billion from insurance companies with newer and tougher penalties for submitting improper charges on the taxpayers’ tab for Medicare Advantage care.
Federal watchdogs have been sounding the alarm for years about questionable charges on the government’s private version of the Medicare program, with investigators raising the possibility that insurance companies may be bilking taxpayers of billions of dollars every year by claiming members are sicker than they really are to receive inflated payments.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it will begin collecting payments from insurers when an audit turns up that they charged for diagnoses that are not reflected in the patient’s medical records. The government has not sought refunds for those payments in over a decade, the agency said.”
CVS Health launches initiative with Meharry Medical College, Sinai Chicago aiming to reduce disparities in marginalized communities “CVS Health has created the Community Equity Alliance, an initiative aimed at addressing barriers to care in underserved communities.
The initiative, launching this month, was established to help make healthcare more accessible and to decrease health disparities. The first institutions to join the initiative are Meharry Medical College, Sinai Chicago and Wayne State University, which will, among other efforts, gather and share data with CVS Health on local community needs.”
CMS Announces ACA Special Enrollment Period during PHE Unwinding “CMS announced that there will be a special enrollment period on the Affordable Care Act marketplace for individuals who lose their Medicaid coverage due to the public health emergency unwinding.”
About pharma
Amgen's Humira biosimilar Amjevita hits the market with two different list prices “California-based Amgen is offering the first U.S. Humira biosimilar at two different price points—one 55% below Humira's list price and the other at a 5% discount. Humira's U.S. list price is $6,922 per month, Reuters reports.
While the 55% discount looks good on paper, the more expensive product might end up being more popular with payers because of rebate dynamics.”
About healthcare IT
CMS IMPROVES MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT FOR DIGITAL HEALTH CONSULTS “KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued new guidance on Medicaid and CHIP coverage for eConsults, or interprofessional consultations between a primary care provider and a specialist on treatment for a specific patient.
Under the new guidance, specialists are able to bill Medicaid for eConsults rather than primary care providers, who would often have to bill higher rates so that they could reimburse specialists for their services.
The platform is popular with primary care providers who want to keep more of their patients and specialists who want to expand their reach, while it improves access to care for underserved populations who can't afford or won;t travel to see a specialist.”
Russian hackers disrupt health system websites across US “Russian hacking group Killnet claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that disrupted hospital and health system websites across the U.S., according to BetterCyber, a technology company.”
The article has a list of affected hospitals.
About healthcare personnel
11 medical schools boycott US News rankings: Who, why and what's next The list is slowly growing. Still not at an inflection point.