About health insurance/insurers
CMS rebrands Medicare Advantage health equity program: CMS is rebranding its Health Equity Index reward program to the Excellent Health Outcomes for All (EHO4all) reward, which is set to take effect for 2027 Medicare Advantage star ratings.
The new name “better captures the goal of ensuring exceptional care for all enrollees,” the agency wrote April 7 in its 2026 final rate notice.
Comment: Obviously the real reason was to get rid of a name that had the word “Equity” in it.
Judge tosses MultiPlan, UnitedHealthcare antitrust lawsuit: A New York federal judge dismissed an antitrust lawsuit against UnitedHealthcare and MultiPlan that alleged the companies conspired to reduce reimbursement rates for an anesthesia services provider.
The lawsuit from Long Island Anesthesiologists alleged that UnitedHealthcare and MultiPlan conspired to lower rates by more than 80% after the federal No Surprises Act took effect in January 2022. The lawsuit alleges that MultiPlan acted on UnitedHealthcare’s behalf, using repricing tools and aggressive negotiation tactics to pressure providers into accepting reduced payments.
About pharma
Trump says ‘major’ pharmaceutical tariffs on the way: “We’re going to be announcing very shortly a major tariff on pharmaceuticals,” he said at a dinner of the National Republican Congressional Committee. “And when they hear that, they will leave China. They will leave other places because they have to sell — most of their product is sold here and they’re going to be opening up their plants all over the place.”
Domestic drug manufacturing has shrunk dramatically in recent decades. Most production of active pharmaceutical ingredients has moved to China and other countries, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Reporting of Noninferiority Margins on ClinicalTrials.gov-A Systematic Review: In this systematic review, we identified a concerning issue regarding the poor reporting of noninferiority margins at registration on ClinicalTrials.gov. This lack of transparency may allow for untraceable changes to the noninferiority margins, potentially distorting conclusions toward more favorable results.
Comment: When a trial of non inferiority is done, it compares two drugs to each other. What this study says is the margins that determine how close these drugs are is not adequately reported and could lead to more drugs being considered interchangeable.
US commission says $15B biotech investment is needed to maintain dominance over China: A report issued by a US commission recommended the government make a $15-billion investment to bolster the country's leadership in the biotechnology sector — and to prevent China from taking that lead. The document, submitted to Congress on Tuesday and shared with the public, laid out a series of proposals to "make America innovate faster, and slow China down."
About the public’s health
Pregnancy-Related Deaths in the US, 2018-2022: In this cross-sectional analysis of pregnancy-related deaths in the US, rates increased during 2018 to 2022, with large variations by state and race and ethnicity. The concerning rates in the US should be an urgent public health priority.
Eating some food additives together may increase diabetes risk, study suggests: See the list of 5 combinations in this article.
Slashed Federal Funding Cancels Vaccine Clinics Amid Measles Surge: Immunization efforts across the country were upended after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aabruptly canceled $11.4 billion in covid-related funds for state and local health departments in late March.A federal judge temporarily blocked the cuts last week, but many of the organizations that receive the funds said they must proceed as though they’re gone, raising concerns amid a resurgence of measles, a rise in vaccine hesitancy, and growing distrust of public health agencies.
Access and Quality of Care for Older Adults in 10 Countries:
Highlights:
Older adults who needed off-hours care in the Netherlands were significantly more likely to report they could easily get it compared to those in other countries.
No more than roughly one of five older adults across countries reported problems with coordination of care between their regular doctor and specialist.
U.S. Medicare beneficiaries were among the most likely to report their hospital coordinated care with their regular doctor when discharged; older adults in Sweden and Germany were least likely to do so.
While most older adults across all countries were satisfied with the quality of their health care, U.S. Medicare beneficiaries were most likely to report their health care professional reviewed their medications with them over the course of a year.
Roughly one of five U.S. Medicare beneficiaries reported they felt they were treated unfairly or their concerns were dismissed while receiving care.
About health technology
NIH, HHS appeal after judge permanently blocks cap on medical research funding: The relief felt by universities and medical research institutes after a US judge blocked an attempt to cut the amount of funding provided by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants may be short-lived. The NIH and the broader Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are appealing the ruling, according to a court notice filed on Tuesday.
In February, the NIH implemented a new policy to limit the amount of funding allocated by its grants for infrastructure purposes — called the indirect cost rate — to 15%. Historically, the indirect cost rate on NIH grants was about 27% to 30%.
World’s Smallest Pacemaker is Activated by Light: Northwestern University engineers have developed a pacemaker so small that it can fit inside the tip of a syringe — and be non-invasively injected into the body, according to a new study published in Nature.
Although it can work with hearts of all sizes, the pacemaker is particularly well-suited to the tiny, fragile hearts of newborn babies with congenital heart defects.