Health Affairs This Week

Abortion Access In The High Court, Again | Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs Publishing’s Jeff Byers welcomes Georgetown University’s Katie Keith and Deputy Editor Chris Fleming back to the podcast to unpack a new court case over mifepristone that could alter telehealth access to medication abortion and test the boundaries of FDA authority.

Join us on June 23 for an exclusive Insider virtual event examining how antitrust policy in health care is evolving at both the federal and state levels, featuring insights from Katherine Gudiksen, Leemore Dafny, and Nathan Hostert.

Related Links:

Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Ruling Barring Telehealth And Pharmacy Access To Mifepristone (Health Affairs Forefront)
The US Food and Drug Administration’s Regulation of Mifepristone (JAMA)

How the One Big Beautiful Bill Changes Medicaid for Older Adults and State Health Policy

Health Affairs — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the first episode in a new, limited podcast series exploring major policy changes affecting older adults. The episode is part of our Age-Friendly Health series, which explores topics at the intersection of aging, health, health care, and health policy.

In our first episode, host Katherine Ornstein welcomes Hemi Tewarson of the National Academy for State Health Policy how the The Big Beautiful Bill will impact Medicaid and state health policies affecting older adults. Their conversation explores work requirements, Medicaid financing changes, rural health investments, the sustainability of age‑friendly services, and more.

Support for the Age-Friendly Health series is provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation.

When Screening Guidelines Shift: Impacts on Healthcare Access & Use

Health Affairs — Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Duke University School of Medicine's Mike Pignone to the pod to explore the new cholesterol screening guidelines, how evolving screening and treatment guidelines (including colon cancer and breast cancer screening guidelines) influence care, and the broader cost implications for the health system.

Join Health Affairs Publishing on May 13 for an exclusive Insider virtual event exploring individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements (ICHRAs) with Urban Institute’s Jason Levitis.

Related Articles:

Generic cholesterol drugs save Medicare billions of dollars, study finds (UT Southwestern Medical Center)
Trends in Utilization and Cost of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol–Lowering Therapies Among Medicare Beneficiaries (JAMA)
A cholesterol test you've never heard of is now recommended to prevent heart disease (NPR)
ACC/American Heart Association Issue Updated Guideline for Managing Lipids, Cholesterol (American Heart Association)

Healthcare Price Transparency 2.0: Proposed Federal Updates Explained

Health Affairs — Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Stacey Pogue of Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy about her recent Forefront article examining proposed updates to health plan price transparency rules, focusing on efforts to improve data usability and the ongoing challenges in making healthcare costs more accessible and actionable.

Taking Stock Of Proposed Updates To Health Plan Price Transparency Rules (Health Affairs Forefront)

New Prior Authorization Proposals: Implications for Prescription Drug Access

Health Affairs — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the pod to discuss recent federal action on prior authorization, including CMS’s proposal to expand response-time requirements to prescription drugs. The conversation also covers insurer efforts to reduce prior auth volume, the promise of AI and prior authorization, and what increased transparency could reveal about costs.

To learn more, check out our recent Insider trend report on the current prior authorization landscape. And if you haven't already, join Insider today to get access to exclusive events, newsletters, cheat sheets, and reports.

Related Links:

CMS proposes new deadlines for prior authorizations for drugs (Healthcare Dive)
2026 CMS Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs Proposed Rule (CMS)
A Rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on 02/08/2024 (Federal Register)
Health Plans Reduce Prior Authorization, Support Continuity of Care and Enhanced Consumer Communications (Blue Cross Blue Shield)
AI speeds up prior auth, coding while driving higher costs for health systems: PHTI report (Fierce Healthcare)

The FY 2027 HHS Budget Proposal: Changes, Cuts, and Investments

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Jessica Bylander back to the pod to explore the White House’s proposed FY 2027 HHS budget, outlining major cuts to health agencies and research programs and the emphasized investment on the Make America Healthy Again initiative.

Related Links:

Celebrating Big Wins of the Trump Administration (HHS)
President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Proposal Released (NAWDP)
White House seeks 12% cut to HHS in 2027 (Healthcare Dive)

Health Policy Roundup: ACA Reform, MedPAC & Conversion Therapy in the Courts

Health Affairs — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:01:00 -0400

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the pod to discuss recent health policy developments, including a Supreme Court ruling on conversion therapy, renewed Democratic interest in Affordable Care Act reform, and key findings from MedPAC’s latest Medicare payment report.

On April 20th, join us for our upcoming Insider exclusive event exploring the evolution of the Medicare Advantage market featuring Sachin Jain, David Meyers, and Grace Mackleby.

Related Links:

2027 Medicare Advantage Final Payment Rule: Key Changes Explained | David Meyers (Health Affairs This Week)
Chiles v. Salazar (Conversion Therapy) (SCOTUSblog)
Senate Democrats lay out plans to overhaul health insurance after setbacks under Trump (STAT)
March 2026 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy

2027 Medicare Advantage Final Payment Rule: Key Changes Explained | David Meyers

Health Affairs — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

On an emergency pod episode, Health Affairs Publishing’s Jeff Byers welcomes Brown University's David Meyers to the pod to unpack the 2027 Medicare Advantage final payment rule, including the higher-than-anticipated rate increase, changes to risk adjustment models, what is V28, and the tradeoffs between market stability and long-term program sustainability.

On April 20th, join us for our upcoming Insider exclusive event exploring the evolution of the Medicare Advantage market featuring Sachin Jain, David Meyers, and Grace Mackleby.

Related Links:

Assessing Recent Regulatory Action On Medicare Advantage (Health Affairs Forefront)

Abandon High‑Deductible Health Plans Linked to Health Spending Accounts | Jeanne Lambrew

Health Affairs — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Jeanne Lambrew of The Century Foundation to discuss her recent Forefront article exploring whether high deductibles and health spending accounts achieve their intended goals and how alternative approaches could improve healthcare affordability and access.

On April 20th, join us for our upcoming Insider exclusive event exploring the evolution of the Medicare Advantage market featuring Sachin Jain, David Meyers, and Grace Mackleby.

Also, check out our newest trend report focusing on the current state of prior authorization.

Become an Insider today.

Related Articles:

Abandon—Don’t Expand—High-Deductible Plans Linked To Spending Accounts (Health Affairs Forefront)

Innovation, Consumers, and How We Get to Better Health Care | Halle Tecco

Health Affairs — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Halle Tecco, investor, founder of Rock Health and professor at Columbia Business School, to the pod to discuss her new book, Massively Better Healthcare: The Innovator's Guide to Tackling Healthcare's Biggest Challenges. Their conversation explores why consumers are becoming a powerful force in healthcare, how innovation happens within complex systems, and what it takes to align technology, evidence, and incentives to drive meaningful change.

Related Links:

Medicare Advantage Payment & Coding Fights Intensify

Health Affairs — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:01:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Ben Ippolito of the American Enterprise Institute to the pod to discuss the growing debate over Medicare Advantage (MA) payments and coding intensity. They break down why MA plans typically receive higher federal payments than traditional Medicare, how diagnostic upcoding factors into that gap, and what a new study in Health Affairs Scholar reveals about policy changes aimed at reducing inflated coding.

On March 24th, join us for our upcoming Insider exclusive event focusing on pharmacy benefit manager reform with Harvard Medical School's Benjamin Rome.

Related Articles:

An updated analysis of coding pattern differences in Medicare Advantage (Health Affairs Scholar)
The Trouble With MedPAC (Wall Street Journal)
The Higher Price Tag on Medicare Advantage (Wall Street Journal)
Aligning The MedPAC And CMS Estimates Of Coding Intensity: The Importance Of The Risk Model And Trend (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare Advantage growth decelerates as insurers shed members for 2026 (Healthcare Dive)

FDA & Rare Disease Drugs: Why Policy and Politics Are Heating Up

Health Affairs — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Leslie Erdelack back to the pod to break down recent turbulence at the FDA following the departure of Vinay Prasad, whose decisions around rare‑disease gene therapies courted controversy. They explore the fast‑growing rare disease therapeutics market, why traditional clinical trials often don’t work for ultra‑rare genetic conditions, and the new FDA draft guidance for rare disease drug development.

On March 24th, join us for our upcoming Insider exclusive event focusing on pharmacy benefit manager reform with Harvard Medical School's Benjamin Rome.

Become an Insider to get access to this event, trend reports, cheat sheets, and exclusive newsletters.

Related Articles:

FDA vaccines chief who ran afoul of pharma to depart (Politico)
Rare Disease Therapeutics Market to Surpass US$ 495.27 Billion by 2033 as Gene Therapy, RNA-based Drugs, and Biologics Transform Patient Care (PR Newswire)
FDA NEWS RELEASE: FDA Launches Framework for Accelerating Development of Individualized Therapies for Ultra-Rare Diseases
FDA illuminates new approval pathway for bespoke gene editing therapies (Fierce Biotech)
One Pivotal Trial, the New Default Option for FDA Approval — Ending the Two-Trial Dogma (The New England Journal of Medicine)

State of the Union Healthcare Policy Breakdown

Health Affairs — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Margaret Winchester to the pod to discuss Trump's recent State of the Union Address and unpacking its health care and health policy talking points, including most-favored nation drug pricing, health savings accounts, and if there's a path toward codification for either.

On March 24th, join us for our upcoming Insider exclusive event focusing on pharmacy benefit manager reform with Harvard Medical School's Benjamin Rome.

Related Articles:

National Health Care Spending Increased 7.2 Percent In 2024 As Utilization Remained Elevated (Health Affairs)
Trump’s State of the Union trumpets healthcare greatest hits, but no new policies (Healthcare Dive)

Is Value-Based Payment Failing U.S. Healthcare? | Andrew Ryan

Health Affairs — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs’ Jeff Byers welcomes Brown University's Andrew Ryan to the pod to discuss his recent Forefront article that explores whether value-based payment and managed care can lead to addressing the core drivers of spending.

Related Links:

Value-Based Payment And Managed Care Will Not Solve The Affordability Crisis (Health Affairs Forefront)
“All I Do Is Win”: Why Beating Benchmarks Doesn’t Mean That ACOs Are Reducing Costs (Health Affairs Forefront)

Healthcare Storytelling and Digital Health Investment Trends | Christina Farr

Health Affairs — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Christina Farr, CEO and editor-in-chief of Second Opinion Media, back to the pod to discuss her book, The Storyteller's Advantage: How Powerful Narratives Make Businesses Thrive. The conversation explores the value of storytelling in the health care and health policy space, how to invest in posting, the catch 22 of "spicy takes," recommendations for the reluctant poster, and Christina shares a quick look into what's interesting in the digital health investment space.

Sweeping Affordable Care Act Changes Proposed for 2027 (Katie Keith)

Health Affairs — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs’ Jeff Byers welcomes Georgetown University’s Katie Keith back to the podcast to break down the newly proposed HHS rule that could bring major changes to the ACA beginning in 2027.

They discuss the proposal’s biggest shifts, including a major push toward expanding catastrophic plans, new marketplace eligibility restrictions tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and potential impacts on premiums, marketplace enrollment, insurers, and consumers.

Related Links:

HHS Proposes Sweeping Changes for 2027 Marketplace Plans (Part 1) (Health Affairs Forefront)
HHS Proposes Sweeping Changes for 2027 Marketplace Plans (Part 2) (Health Affairs Forefront)
Trump Team’s Planned ACA Rule Offers Its Answer to Rising Premium Costs: Catastrophic Coverage (KFF Health News)
CMS proposes sweeping ACA exchange rule (Healthcare Dive)

2025 Dietary Guidelines: Protein, Policy, and the Ultra-Processed Foods Problem

Health Affairs — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes dietitian Jenny Lo from Wellness and Sports Dietetics to discuss the recently revised dietary guidelines for Americans. They discuss what's changed, the emphasis on protein, the ambiguity over ultraprocessed foods, and the best advice she gives to new clients looking to make dietary changes.

Related Articles:

Panel behind new dietary guidelines had financial ties to beef, dairy industries (Stat News)
Experts Who Advised on Diet Guidelines Say RFK Jr.'s Version Is Full of Errors (MedPage Today)
A Multilayered Public Policy Approach To Ultraprocessed Foods (Health Affairs Forefront)
MAHA says its new food pyramid is affordable and healthy. We asked experts (Stat News)

Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reforms Are (Finally) Afoot

Health Affairs — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the pod to discuss the recently passed $1.2 trillion spending appropriations bill, its included reforms for pharmacy benefit managers, the latest round of drugs slated for the Medicare Drug Negotiation program, TrumpRx, the upcoming flat rate for Medicare Advantage plan rates, and more recent health policy news.

Related Articles:

Congress Reins In Drug Middlemen In Effort to Lower Prescription Prices (The New York Times)
Analyzing The Drugs Selected For The 2028 Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Cycle (Health Affairs Forefront)
The No UPCODE Act: Considering A Simple Start To A Complex Problem (Health Affairs Forefront)
PRESS RELEASE: CMS Announces Selection of Drugs for Third Cycle of Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, Including First-Ever Part B Drugs

What Health Policy Katie Keith Is Watching In 2026

Health Affairs — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Katie Keith of Georgetown Law and Deputy Editor Chris Fleming to the pod to discuss what to watch out for in 2026 for health policy. The conversation touches on Affordable Care Act subsidies, Medicaid eligibility, guidance for pharmacy benefit managers, drug price negotiations, and more.

This week, we announced that Health Affairs has become Health Affairs Publishing, LLC, a single-member limited liability company wholly owned by Project HOPE. To find out more about this exciting new chapter, check out this Forefront piece.

Join us for the following events:

2/17: The FDA and Its Changing Relationship to Industry
2/25: What Excites Insiders About Health Care in 2026?

Become an Insider today to get access to these exclusive events.

Related Links:

Health Policy At A Crossroads: What To Watch In 2026 (Health Affairs Forefront)
Prescription Drug Policy, 2025 And 2026: The Year In Review And The Year Ahead (Health Affairs Forefront)

Behind Epic's Latest Antitrust Lawsuit (Gabriel Perna)

Health Affairs — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Gabriel Perna, Deputy Editor of Digital Health Business & Technology at Modern Healthcare, to the pod to discuss Epic Systems, how they became one of the leading American health care EHR companies, a recent antitrust lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against Epic Systems, and even touch on ChatGPT's entrance into health care.

Related Articles:

Texas files antitrust suit against Epic over health data (Modern Healthcare)
Texas hits Epic with an antitrust suit: Here’s what to know (Modern Healthcare)

The Great Health Care Vision Board (Stacie Dusetzina)

Health Affairs — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

On an emergency pod episode, Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Stacie Dusetzina of Vanderbilt University Medical Center to breakdown the recently unveiled The Great Healthcare Plan from the Trump administration.

Related Articles:

The Great Healthcare Plan (White House)

It's Not the Prices, Stupid. Michael Chernew on US Health Expenditures

Health Affairs — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Michael Chernew from Harvard Medical School to explore the recent 2024 health care spending report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

To kick off the new year, we are offering podcast videos of A Health Podyssey. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch those episodes. Let us know what you think about the videos by emailing us at communications@healthaffairs.org.

Join us on January 21 for an exclusive Insider virtual event exploring the latest drug policies with the University of Utah’s Joey Mattingly. Become an Insider to get access to this event.

National Health Care Spending Increased 7.2 Percent In 2024 As Utilization Remained Elevated (Health Affairs)
Growth In National Health Expenditures: It’s Not The Prices, Stupid (Health Affairs Forefront)

BEST OF: Power and Its Impact on Medicaid w/ Jamila Michener

Health Affairs — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

In the wake of Medicare and Medicaid's 60th anniversary, Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Jamila Michener of Cornell University to the pod to discuss her recent Forefront article on organized power and its impact on the future of Medicaid.

Also, join us for these upcoming events:

8/26: Provider Prices in the Commercial Sector: Independent Dispute Resolution (FREE TO ALL)
9/3: Theme Issue Briefing: Insights About The Opioid Crisis (FREE TO ALL)
9/23: Prior Authorization: Current State and Potential Reform (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)

Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events like the ones highlighted above.

Related Articles:

Order Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics (Cambridge University Press)
Medicare and Medicaid at 60 Forefront Series

BEST OF: What's Happening with Value-Based Insurance Design? w/ Mark Fendrick

Health Affairs — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Mark Fendrick of The University of Michigan's Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) to discuss the recent announcement from CMS that the Medicare Advantage VBID model would be ending after 2025, and what the future holds for VBID moving forward with the new Trump administration.

Check out a recently released Health Policy brief from Nathaniel Tran and Gilbert Gonzales exploring LGBTQI+ policies.

Join Health Affairs on February 25 for an exclusive Insider virtual event featuring Stacie Dusetzina and Laura Tollen discussing HHS’s announcement of the 15 additional drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiations, including weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.

Also, join a live recording of A Health Podyssey on March 12 featuring Rob Lott and Yashaswini Singh discussing her recent paper on the effect of private equity on physician turnover. Register for the live taping here.

Related Articles:

The End Of The MA Value-Based Insurance Design Model: What Next? (Health Affairs Forefront)
V-BID X: Creating A Value-Based Insurance Design Plan For The Exchange Market (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model to End after Calendar Year 2025 (CMS)

BEST OF: Medicare Physicians Are Getting a Raise...But At What Cost?

Health Affairs — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack back to the pod to discuss the proposed rule change to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2026, which includes payment conversion factors for doctors, alternative payment models, add-on codes for Advanced Primary Care Management services, a new mandatory value-based payment model, and more.

Order the August 2025 issue of Health Affairs.

Join us for a live taping of A Health Podyssey on Tuesday August 12 where Rob Lott will discuss recent findings about changes in clinician's participation across Medicare value-based payment models with Kenton Johnston.

Upcoming Events include:

8/20: 340B w/ Sayeh Nikpay (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)
8/26: Provider Prices in the Commercial Sector: Independent Dispute Resolution (FREE TO ALL)
9/23: Prior Authorization: Current State and Potential Reform (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)

View all Upcoming Events.

Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events like the ones highlighted above.

Related Articles:

PRESS RELEASE: Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule (CMS-1832-P)
CMS proposes rule aligning Medicare physician payment with ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ MACRA (Healthcare Dive)
CMS proposes 3.6% pay bump for docs, takes aim at chronic conditions in physician fee schedule (Fierce Healthcare)
Physicians will see Medicare payments rise in 2026 (AMA)
Medicare proposes ‘efficiency’ pay cuts that would hit highly paid specialists the most (STAT News)

BEST OF: US Health Spending Projections Back on the Rise w/ Michael Chernew

Health Affairs — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Michael Chernew from Harvard Medical School to discuss the recently released National Health Expenditures Projections for 2024–33 from the Office of the Actuary (OACT) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Related Articles:

BEST OF: The Big Beautiful Bill: A New Era for Health Policy? w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Katie Keith of Georgetown Law and Deputy Editor Chris Fleming to the pod to discuss Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill and how this will affect Medicaid, Medicare, health savings accounts, rural hospitals, and more.

Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters.

Related Links:

The 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' Now Law, Does Not Protect Rural Hospitals (Health Affairs Forefront)
Rural Health Transformation Program Won’t Shield Hospitals And Other Rural Providers From OBBBA’s Fallout (Health Affairs Forefront)
With Budget Reconciliation Bill Enacted, Health Care Changes Loom (Health Affairs Forefront)
Congress Should Remove The Rare Disease Carve-Out From Medicare Drug Price Negotiation, Not Expand It (Health Affairs Forefront)
Recent Experience Shows National Medicaid Work Requirements Would Create Enormous Administrative Inefficiencies (Health Affairs Forefront)

Keeping ACO Models Accountable

Health Affairs — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Rachel Bonesteel of Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy to the pod to discuss her recent Forefront article focused on how ACO REACH enabled ACOs to participate in an advanced, global-risk, population-based payment model.

Related Articles:

ACO REACH 2023 Performance Results Indicate A Pathway To Sustainable Accountable Care (Health Affairs Forefront)
Opportunities To Enhance Design And Implementation Of ACO REACH’s Core Payment Model Design Elements (Health Affairs Forefront)
Enhancing Design And Implementation Of ACO REACH’s Equity-Focused And Beneficiary Engagement Design Elements (Health Affairs Forefront)
Future Of Accountable Care: Lessons Learned And Potential Paths Forward During A Time Of Transition (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare Accountable Care Organizations In 2023: Large Savings With Increasing Value-Based Programmatic Competition (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare ACOs In 2024: Increased Participation And Evolving Policy Impacts (Health Affairs Forefront)

How Are States Even Affording Health Care Costs?

Health Affairs — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Nathan Hostert of The Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research at Brown University to the pod to discuss a recent Forefront article on how states are utilizing hospital price caps to save money.

Become an Insider today to get access to our third trend report focusing on the influence of private equity in health care.

Related Articles:

How States Are Using Hospital Price Caps To Save Money (Health Affairs Forefront)
Hospital Payment Cap Simulator (Brown University)
Hospital Facility Prices Declined As A Result Of Oregon’s Hospital Payment Cap (Health Affairs)
Hospital Payment Caps Could Save State Employee Health Plans Millions While Keeping Hospital Operating Margins Healthy (Health Affairs)
How Massachusetts’s New Health Care Reform Takes Aim at Private Equity (Health Affairs Forefront)

CMS Drug Price Negotiation Guidance Updates with Rachel Sachs

Health Affairs — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Rachel Sachs from Washington University in St. Louis and Deputy Editor Chris Fleming back to the pod to discuss CMS' final guidance for the latest round of the Medicare drug price negotiation program.

Related Articles:

Administration Releases Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Final Guidance For 2028 (Health Affairs Forefront)
The Role of Combination Drugs in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (JAMA)
Articulating policy options regarding implementation of the Medicare drug price negotiation program’s renegotiation provision (Brookings Institution)
Eye on The IRA (Health Affairs)

Why the U.S. Healthcare System Is Unwell | Allison Oakes

Health Affairs — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Allison Oakes, Chief Research Officer of Trilliant Health, to the pod to discuss Trilliant's recent health care trend report highlighting the health economy and breaking down the big trends, including price and affordability, demographics and lifestyle, care settings and therapies, and more.

Join us for this upcoming event:

11/5: Health Benefits in 2025: Insights from the KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)

Become an Insider today to get access to this event and our third trend report focusing on the influence of private equity in health care.

Related Articles:

2025 Trends Shaping the Health Economy (Trilliant Health)

Pharmaceutical Tariffs Explained: The Will-They-Won’t-They Story of 2025

Health Affairs — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Stacie Dusetzina of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and David Simon of the University of Connecticut back to the pod to the current state of drug prices, how proposed tariffs may impact the pharmaceutical industry, that Pfizer deal, what consumers can expect if tariffs are added to prescription drugs, what exactly TrumpRx is, and more.

Become an Insider today to get access to our third trend report focusing on the influence of private equity in health care.

Related Articles:

Trump admin readies 'imminent' probe into other nations' drug pricing, raising new tariff threat: FT (FiercePharma)
President Trump’s Executive Orders On Prescription Drug Prices: What The Evidence Says (Health Affairs Forefront)

Government Shutdown: Health Policy Back in the Political Crossfire

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the pod to take a look at the recent government shutdown, how health policy plays into it, HHS layoffs, the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, the ACA marketplace, and more.

Join us for this upcoming event:

11/5: Health Benefits in 2025: Insights from the KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)

Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events and our upcoming third trend report.

Related Articles:

Future of Primary Care: Bright or Broken? w/ Troyen Brennan

Health Affairs — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Troyen A. Brennan of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and former CMO at CVS Health to the pod to discuss his new book, Wonderful and Broken: The Complex Reality of Primary Care in the United States. The conversation touches on themes within the book, including the current state of primary care, the diffusion of ideas in the health care space, the paradox of value-based care driven by Medicare Advantage, innovation in the Medicaid space, and what opportunities there could be to improve health care outcomes.

Physician Autonomy in Decline: The Rise of Deprofessionalization w/ Yul Ejnes

Health Affairs — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Dr. Yul Ejnes of Brown University Health to the pod to discuss a recent Forefront article he authored about the trend of deprofessionalization in the health care workforce and potential antidotes to address these issues.

Learn more about the topic of the health care workforce with a Health Affairs Insider trend report.

Join us for this upcoming Insider exclusive events:

10/15: Immigration Policies and Their Impact on Health Care

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Related Articles:

Deprofessionalization: An Emerging Threat To The Physician Workforce (Health Affairs Forefront)
The Health Care Workforce: A Challenge In Sustainability (Health Affairs)

Make America Healthy Again...Again

Health Affairs — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Ellen Bayer back to the pod to discuss the release of a HHS' new strategy document focusing on childhood chronic disease as part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative, specifically the goals surrounding food, diet, and nutrition.

Join us for these upcoming Insider exclusive events:

9/29: Prior Authorization: Current State and Potential Reform
10/15: Immigration Policies and Their Impact on Health Care

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Related Articles:

An ACA Supreme Court Case May Have Created an HHS Power Paradox w/ Carmel Shachar

Health Affairs — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Carmel Shachar of Harvard Law School to the pod to discuss a recent Forefront article she co-authored that broke down the Kennedy v. Braidwood Management case focusing on access to preventive care and how the Supreme Court's framing of the relationship between the HHS Secretary and advisory bodies recommending preventive care might set a precedent worth noting.

Join us for these upcoming Insider exclusive events:

9/29: Prior Authorization: Current State and Potential Reform
10/15: Immigration Policies and Their Impact on Health Care

Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters.

Related Articles:

The Downstream Effects of Politics & Policy on Health Decisions

Health Affairs — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Health Affairs's Akilah Wise to discuss the recent CDC executive changes, HHS staff culture clashes with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., changes in federal vaccine recommendations, and research examples where health policy influences health care behavior.

Health Affairs released a new theme issue focusing on insights from the opioids crisis. Subscribe to the journal to never miss out on an upcoming issue.

Join us for these upcoming events:

9/17: Lunch & Learn: The Current Opioids Policy Landscape & What’s Ahead (FREE TO ALL)
9/23: Prior Authorization: Current State and Potential Reform (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)

Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters.

Related Articles:

Disparities In County COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Linked To Disadvantage And Hesitancy (Health Affairs)
Guaranteed Cash Incentives Boosted COVID-19 Vaccinations Of Young Adults: Evidence From West Virginia (Health Affairs)
HHS schedules next vaccine panel meeting after CDC director ousted (Politico)
Concerned about federal vaccine policies, states are crafting their own (NPR)
Modeling Reemergence of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination in the US (JAMA)
HHS employees demand RFK Jr. resign for ‘compromising the health of this nation’ (CNN)
At Senate hearing, lawmakers express dissatisfaction with RFK Jr.’s vaccine moves (Healthcare Dive)
Trump admin agrees to restore public health webpages (Axios)
1 in 5 US workers say they’re ignoring return-to-office rules (HR Dive)

Supreme Court Upholds NIH’s Termination of $800M in Grants w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Katie Keith of Georgetown Law and Deputy Editor Chris Fleming to the pod to discuss the recent Supreme Court case, American Public Health Association et al. v. National Institutes of Health et al., that explores the lawfulness of the NIH's termination of nearly $800 million worth of grant funding for programs due to DEI association.

This week, Health Affairs released a new theme issue focusing on insights from the opioids crisis. Subscribe to the journal to never miss out on an upcoming issue.

Join us for these upcoming events:

9/17: Lunch & Learn: The Current Opioids Policy Landscape & What’s Ahead (FREE TO ALL)
9/23: Prior Authorization: Current State and Potential Reform (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)

Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters.

Related Articles:

Unpacking The Supreme Court’s Decision Over NIH Funding (Health Affairs Forefront)
American Public Health Association et al. v. National Institutes of Health et al.
A closely watched legal battle over NIH funding cuts could settle soon (STAT+)

PBM Laws & State Reforms: Are Big Changes Coming?

Health Affairs — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Andrew Twinamatsiko of O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law back to the program to discuss pharmacy benefit managers, the laws around PBMs, the statutes in place from the Express Scripts Inc. v. Richmond case, and more.

Next week, Health Affairs will be releasing a new theme issue focusing on insights from the opioids crisis. Subscribe to the journal to never miss out on an upcoming issue.

Join us for these upcoming events:

9/3: Theme Issue Briefing: Insights About The Opioid Crisis (FREE TO ALL)
9/17: Lunch & Learn: The Current Opioids Policy Landscape & What’s Ahead (FREE TO ALL)

Related Articles:

Arkansas PBM law could spur lookalike restrictions (Axios)
Express Scripts Inc et al v. Richmond et al (Judicial Publications)
PBM lobby sues Arkansas over law requiring drug middlemen to sell pharmacies (Healthcare Dive)

The Politics & Business of mRNA Vaccine Investment Cuts

Health Affairs — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the pod to take a look at recent news that HHS terminated 22 mRNA projects. The two explore the agency's reasoning, political and Wall Street reactions, and what it could mean for health care innovation.

Join us for these upcoming events:

8/26: Provider Prices in the Commercial Sector: Independent Dispute Resolution (FREE TO ALL)
9/3: Theme Issue Briefing: Insights About The Opioid Crisis (FREE TO ALL)
9/17: Lunch & Learn: The Current Opioids Policy Landscape & What’s Ahead (FREE TO ALL)
9/23: Prior Authorization: Current State and Potential Reform (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)

Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events like the ones highlighted above.

Related Articles:

HHS abandons mRNA vaccine research (BioPharma Dive)
1 big thing: RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine revolution (Axios)
Moderna Stock Jumps as NIH Chief Tempers Administration’s Attack on mRNA (Barron's)
750 HHS employees send signed letter to RFK Jr. asking him to stop spreading misinformation (ABC News)
Industry frets Kennedy’s mRNA decision will curb cancer breakthroughs (Politico Pro)

Losing Public Health Data: What’s at Risk w/ Aaron Carroll

Health Affairs — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:01:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Dr. Aaron Carroll, President and CEO of AcademyHealth, to the pod to discuss his recent Forefront article that takes a closer look at the disappearance of public health information and how this could have an impact on infrastructures that scientists, clinicians, health policy makers, and community leaders rely on daily.

Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters.

Related Links:

HR Policies Health Care Needs to Know Right Now w/ Ryan Golden

Health Affairs — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Ryan Golden, Senior Reporter at HR Dive, to the pod to discuss workforce trends within the health care space pertaining to artificial intelligence, recruitment, overtime eligibility requirements, pay transparency, noncompete agreements, remote work, RTO policies, and more.

This week, Health Affairs released their second Insider trend report focusing on the health care workforce, titled "The Health Care Workforce: A Challenge In Sustainability."

Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters.

Related Links:

HR Dive
Tracker: A running list of states and localities that require employers to disclose pay or pay ranges (HR Dive)
Tracker: A running list of states and localities that regulate AI in hiring (HR Dive)
Event: The HR Dive 2026 open enrollment and total rewards playbook

Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits: What We've Learned

Health Affairs — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad to the pod to discuss the Forefront series, Supplemental Benefits In Medicare Advantage, and how articles from the series elaborated on issues such as challenges in understanding and accessing benefits, CMS requirements to collect encounter data, the intersection of MA supplemental benefits with Medicaid long-term services and supports, and more.

Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events, our recent trend report on AI in health care, and monthly newsletters from authors such as Stacie Dusetzina, David Simon, Brent Fulton, and others.

Upcoming Insider Exclusive Events include:

6/17: Risk Adjustment Trends & Reform with J. Michael McWilliams
7/9: Supreme Court Wrap-Up with moderator Sara Rosenbaum joined by panelists William Sage, Barak Richman, and Renee Landers

View all Upcoming Events.

Related Articles:

The People Say
Flex Cards In Medicare Advantage: A Closer Look At Impact and Challenges (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare Advantage And Supplemental Long-Term Services And Supports: A Small Step In The Right Direction (Health Affairs Forefront)
Time To Reexamine The Role Of Supplemental Benefits In Medicare Advantage (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits: Origins, Evolution, And Issues For Policy Making (Health Affairs Forefront)

Back In Our Budget Reconciliation Bag w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Katie Keith of Georgetown Law back to the pod to discuss the House Republican budget reconciliation legislation and what impacts this legislation could have on the Affordable Care Act market, Medicaid beneficiaries, health savings accounts, Medicare, and more.

Related Articles:

FDA Vague Efforts to Scale Generative AI Internally By End of June

Health Affairs — Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the program to discuss the Food and Drug Administration's recent announcement to scale a generative artificial intelligence across its center in the future.

Health Affairs released their first Insider trend report. The report focuses on AI in health care and you can get full access to this report by becoming an Insider. Insiders also will receive access to our June 17 event on risk adjustment trends and our July 7 event featuring a wrap-up of the recent Supreme Court session.

Related Links:

FDA's plan to roll out AI agencywide raises questions (Axios)
PRESS RELEASE: FDA Announces Completion of First AI-Assisted Scientific Review Pilot and Aggressive Agency-Wide AI Rollout Timeline

Andrew Ryan on State Affordability Standards' Impact on Hospital Prices and Insurance Premiums | A Health Podyssey

Health Affairs — Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

On May 13, A Health Podyssey's Rob Lott chatted with Andrew Ryan of Brown University about his paper in the May 2025 edition of Health Affairs that explores how Rhode Island's affordability standards impacted hospital prices and insurance premiums.

Order the May 2025 issue of Health Affairs.

Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support, we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcasts free for everyone.

The Digital Health Industry is So Back w/ Christina Farr

Health Affairs — Fri, 23 May 2025 00:01:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Christina Farr, advisor, investor, editor-in-chief of Second Opinion Media, to the pod to discuss recent moves by Omada Health and Hinge Health to take the companies public, how the IPOs could impact the digital health market, and what gains her attention when companies make their investment pitches.

Health Affairs released their first trend report, which is exclusive for Health Affairs Insiders. The first report focuses on AI in health care and you can get full access to this report by becoming an Insider. Insiders also will receive access to our June 17 event on risk adjustment trends.

Related Links:

Thomas Buchmueller on Prescription Coverage After Medicaid Unwinding | A Health Podyssey

Health Affairs — Wed, 21 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Thomas Buchmueller of the University of Michigan to discuss his recent paper that explores how during the Medicaid 'Unwinding' of 2023, the reduction in Medicaid-paid prescriptions was offset by increased commercial coverage.

Order the May 2025 issue of Health Affairs.

Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support, we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcast

Trump's Deregulation Era & The Big Budget Reconciliation's Health Care Impact w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 16 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Katie Keith of Georgetown Law back to the pod to discuss President Trump's potential changes to the rulemaking process, how that may impact rulemaking at HHS, and break down the house Republican budget reconciliation bill and the impacts it could have on Medicaid and more.

Become an Insider today to get access to our May 29 event on the FDA under the second Trump Administration as well as our upcoming premiere trend report on AI in health care.

Also, join us on May 27 for a free virtual event featuring a conversation between Clifford Ko and Katherine Ornstein on how the new Age-Friendly Hospital Measure aims to improve the quality and experience of inpatient care for older Americans.

Related Articles:

The House Republican Budget Reconciliation Legislation: Unpacking The Coverage Provisions (Health Affairs Forefront)
New Trump Directive To Further Erode Notice And Comment Rulemaking (Health Affairs Forefront)
Tracking The Trump Administration’s Early Deregulation Agenda (Health Affairs Forefront)
The House Republican Budget Reconciliation Legislation
RFK Jr. kills policy on public comment for health regulations (Axios)

A Health Podyssey: Caitlin Carroll on Hospital Closures Ultimately Causing Higher Prices

Health Affairs — Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Senior Deputy Editor Rob Lott interviews Caitlin Carroll of the University of Minnesota to discuss her recent paper that explores how rural hospital closures led to an increase in prices for nearby remaining hospitals.

Order the May 2025 issue of Health Affairs.

Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support, we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcast

What's On Farzad Mostashari's Mind for Health Policy

Health Affairs — Fri, 09 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Farzad Mostashari, founder & CEO of Aledade and the former National Coordinator for Health IT, to the pod to break down insights in the latest MedPAC report, quality measurement reform, and areas of opportunity for value-based care.

Health Affairs is hosting an Insider exclusive event on May 29 focusing on the FDA's first 100 days under the second Trump administration featuring moderator Rachel Sachs alongside panelists Richard Hughes IV and Arti Rai.

Related Links:

Crossing the Chasm: How to Expand Adoption of Value-Based Care (The New England Journal of Medicine)
2025 MedPAC Report

A Health Podyssey: Eric Topol on the Science of Super-Aging and Longevity

Health Affairs — Wed, 07 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Senior Deputy Editor Rob Lott interviews Eric Topol, Executive Vice President of Scripps Research, on his new book, Super Agers, which provides an evidence-based approach on extending healthy lifespans.

Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support, we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcast

How Federal Restructuring Affects Data That Affects Health Policy

Health Affairs — Fri, 02 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Akilah Wise to the program to discuss the impacts of preserving the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the effects of physical exercise on health, and how this type of data helps inform policy making.

We are hosting another live podcast recording of A Health Podyssey featuring host Rob Lott and guest Andrew Ryan where they will discuss his paper in the May 2025 edition of Health Affairs and take questions from a live audience. Sign up today.

Related Links:

CDC's Population Health Office Is Gone (MedPage Today)
Adult Physical Inactivity Outside of Work (CDC)
Adult Activity: An Overview (CDC)
How Exercise Helps You Age Well (NCOA)
Establishing The President's Make America Healthy Again Commission (The White House)

2020 Vs. 2025: What's Different and the Same in Health Policy - Our 200th Episode!

Health Affairs — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Jessica Bylander to the program to celebrate the 200th episode of Health Affairs This Week and take a look back at the health care world of 2020 and see what has changed in terms of COVID-19, vaccinations, telehealth, and more.

Health Affairs published an ahead-of-print article this week from Yashaswini Singh and coauthors exploring explore how the expansion of private equity-owned physician practices has led to a decrease in access for certain eye conditions such as retinal detachment.

Yasahswini Singh also appeared as a guest on a live episode of A Health Podyssey discussing private equity's effect on health care staff turnover.

Related Links:

The Many Ways Kennedy Is Already Undermining Vaccines (The New York Times)
Health secretary RFK Jr. endorses the MMR vaccine — stoking fury among his supporters (NPR)
Measles tracker: Follow cases, outbreaks and vaccination rates across the U.S. (NBC News)
Fact Sheet: Telehealth (American Hospital Association)

Whether Health Care M&A is Cooked Or Not w/ Bob Herman

Health Affairs — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Bob Herman of STAT News to the program to discuss the state of deals in the health care space, how vertical integration and consolidation have played a role in mergers & acquisitions as it relates to hospitals, and what might fly under the radar from even the most savvy of health policy wonks.

Health Affairs Insiders can join us April 23 for an exclusive virtual event exploring site-neutral payments with health economist and health services researcher Brady Post of Northeastern University and Health Affairs' Meg Winchester.

Also, we are hosting another Insider exclusive event on May 29 focusing on the FDA's first 100 days under the second Trump administration featuring moderator Rachel Sachs alongside panelists Richard Hughes IV and Arti Rai.

Related Links:

Food, Nutrition, & Health: A Different Type of Hunger w/ Heather Thomas

Health Affairs — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the final episode in a special four-part series from Health Affairs on the intersection of food, nutrition, and health. This special series compliments the release of a theme issue on food, nutrition, and health, which is currently available to read.

In this episode, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Ellen Bayer speak with Heather Thomas from the nonprofit A Place to Stand about her Narrative Matters essay from the issue, "A Different Type of Hunger."

The essay explores Thomas' experience fighting to access and maintain food benefits in the US as a mother of six whose family is food insecure.

Order the Food, Nutrition, and Health Issue.

Elizabeth Popp-Berman on How the U.S. Can Build a Just Political Economy for Health

Health Affairs — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0400

In a special podcast episode, Health Affairs Scholar Associate Editor Loren Adler interviews Elizabeth Popp-Berman about the Health and Political Economy series of papers recently published in Health Affairs Scholar.

The series asks how might the U.S. build a more just and inclusive political economy for health rather than take the status quo for granted.

This paper collection was developed in partnership with the The New School’s Health and Political Economy Project (HPEP), a field catalyst initiative advancing a just and inclusive economy for health, and supported by the Commonwealth Fund.

Read the Collection:

Where Tariffs and Health Care Meet w/ David Simon

Health Affairs — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes David Simon from The University of Connecticut to the program to discuss the recent news that the Trump administration implemented reciprocal tariffs on imported goods and what this could mean for the health care industry.

Become an Insider today to never miss out on David Simon's exclusive newsletter, Economic Intersections.

Insiders can join us April 23 for an exclusive virtual event exploring site-neutral payments with health economist and health services researcher Brady Post of Northeastern University and Health Affairs' Meg Winchester.

Order the April 2025 theme issue of Health Affairs focusing on food, nutrition, and health.

And, join Health Affairs April 29 for a free and open for all virtual event featuring a conversation between consumer advocate, nutritionist, and award-winning author Marion Nestle of New York University and Angela Odoms-Young of Cornell University.

Food, Nutrition, & Health: Behind the Pages

Health Affairs — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the third episode in a special four-part series from Health Affairs on the intersection of food, nutrition, and health. This special series compliments the release of a theme issue on food, nutrition, and health to be released this week.

In this episode, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Ellen Bayer discuss the content in the theme issue.

Order the Food, Nutrition, and Health Issue.

The Politics of Alternative Payment Models

Health Affairs — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the program to discuss the recent announcement from the Trump administration to cancel certain alternative payment models, their previous impact on health spending, and the difficult task of measuring success over a long period of time and across different administrations.

Order the April 2025 theme issue of Health Affairs focusing on food, nutrition, and health.

Join us for our theme issue briefing on April 8 featuring panels on Food is Medicine, Government Programs & Policies, Community Voices, and more. Save the date.

Also, join us April 23 for an exclusive Insider virtual event exploring site-neutral payments with health economist and health services researcher Brady Post of Northeastern University and Health Affairs' Meg Winchester.

Related Articles:

Kennedy to slash 10,000 jobs in major overhaul of US health agencies (Reuters)
Internal fallout at HHS delays 10,000 firings (Politico)
Maryland Hospital All-Payer Model: Can It Be Emulated? (Health Affairs Forefront)
CMMI cancels 4 payment models early (Healthcare Dive)
Statement on CMS Innovation Center Aligning Portfolio with Statutory Obligation (CMS)

Food, Nutrition & Health: Food Support Programs w/ Diane Schanzenbach

Health Affairs — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the second episode in a special four-part series from Health Affairs on the intersection of food, nutrition, and health. This special series compliments the release of a theme issue on food, nutrition, and health to be released April 7, 2025.

In this episode, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander speaks with Diane Schanzenbach from Northwestern University on the topic of food support programs and their impacts on very young children.

Pre-order the Food, Nutrition, and Health Issue.

Related Links:

Food Support Programs and Their Impacts On Very Young Children (Health Policy Brief)
SNAP's Short- and Long-Term Benefits (Northwestern Institute for Policy Research)
Long-Run Impacts of Childhood Access to the Safety Net (American Economic Association)

What We Talk About When We Talk About SNAP w/ Seth Berkowitz

Health Affairs — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Seth Berkowitz of UNC School of Medicine back to the program to discuss nutrition in the US, the current state of SNAP benefits, and his upcoming paper to be featured in our April 2025 theme issue on food, nutrition, and health.

Preorder the April 2024 theme issue of Health Affairs.

Join us April 23 for an exclusive Insider virtual event exploring site-neutral payments with health economist and health services researcher Brady Post of Northeastern University and Health Affairs' Meg Winchester.

Learn more about Seth's book, Equal Care: Health Equity, Social Democracy, and the Egalitarian State.

Related Articles:

Tennessee bill could ban candy and soda from SNAP benefits (WJHL)

Food, Nutrition, & Health: Water Insecurity w/ Na'Taki Osborne Jelks

Health Affairs — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Welcome to a special four-part series from Health Affairs on the intersection of food, nutrition, and health. This special series compliments the release of a theme issue on food, nutrition, and health to be released April 7, 2025.

In the first episode, Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer speaks with Na'Taki Osborne Jelks from Spelman College on the topic of water insecurity.

Pre-order the Food, Nutrition, and Health Issue.

Related Links:

Water Insecurity and Population Health: Implications for Health Equity and Policy (Health Affairs' Health Policy Brief)

Health Policy at a Crossroads: Trump's First 50 Days w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Katie Keith of Georgetown Law to the program to discuss the 15th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and the first 50 days of the new Trump administration.

Katie Keith is a frequent contributor to the Health Affairs Forefront series Health Policy At A Crossroads. Catch up on what you may have missed.

Health Affairs will be hosting a theme issue briefing on April 8 to celebrate the release of our April 2025 issue focusing on food, nutrition & health. RSVP for the event and preorder your copy of the new issue today!

Also, join Health Affairs on April 23 for an exclusive Insider virtual event exploring site-neutral payments.

Make sure you sign up for all of our free newsletters to stay up to date on new events, podcasts, Forefront, and journal articles.

Related Articles:

HHS Proposes To Restrict Marketplace Eligibility, Enrollment, And Affordability In First Major Rule Under Trump Administration (Part 1) and (Part 2) (Health Affairs Forefront)
What Lies Ahead For Medicaid In Budget Reconciliation? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Health Affairs Forefront's Following The ACA series
The Affordable Care Act At Fifteen: Policy Surprises And Lessons (Health Affairs Forefront)

At the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Health Care w/ Brian Anderson

Health Affairs — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Brian Anderson, President & CEO of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), to the program to discuss the adoption of artificial intelligence technology in health care and the future application of these tools.

Health Affairs is hosting an Insider-exclusive virtual event on March 19th examining the potential policy and administrative changes surrounding the Medicaid program and what they may mean in terms of coverage, operations, and financing. Sign up today.

Related Links:

Artificial Intelligence In Health And Health Care: Priorities For Action (Health Affairs)

The Impact of Trump's Known Health Care Agenda w/ Rebecca Pifer

Health Affairs — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Rebecca Pifer of Healthcare Dive back to the program to discuss the 2025 budget resolution that passed the House on its way to the Senate, the current administration's health care agenda, and what ripple effects the current actions of DOGE are having on the health care workforce.

Health Affairs just released their March 2025 issue focusing on pharmaceuticals, private equity, child health, & more. Order your copy today.

Join a live recording of A Health Podyssey on March 12 featuring Rob Lott and Yashaswini Singh discussing her recent paper on the effect of private equity on physician turnover. Register for the live taping here.

Also, Health Affairs is hosting an Insider-exclusive virtual event on March 19th examining the potential policy and administrative changes surrounding the Medicaid program and what they may mean in terms of coverage, operations, and financing. Sign up today.

Related Links:

White House orders agencies to prepare for large-scale firings (Axios)
Trump revisits health price transparency in new exec order (Axios)
Prescription Drug Policy, 2024 And 2025: The Year In Review And The Year Ahead (Health Affairs Forefront)

Victor Dzau on the Urgent Health Care Priorities Facing the Trump Administration

Health Affairs — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers invites Victor Dzau of the National Academy of Medicine to the program to discuss the 2025 Vital Directions paper package and what major takeaways could be found to inform the incoming administration for the future of health care.

Related Links:

Podcast: Don Berwick on How to Fix US Health Care (A Health Podyssey)
Vital Directions for Health & Health Care: Priorities for 2025 Webinar (National Academy of Medicine)
Vital Directions For Health And Health Care: Priorities For 2025 (Health Affairs)
Updating US Public Health For Healthier Communities (Health Affairs)
Artificial Intelligence In Health And Health Care: Priorities For Action (Health Affairs)

BREAKDOWN: Health Care Private Equity Federal Reports

Health Affairs — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the program to discuss two recent reports exploring the impacts of private equity on the US health care system.

Health Affairs published an ahead-of-print article from Michelle S. Rockwell and coauthors exploring demographic variation in COVID-19-associated outpatient hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin use and spending throughout the public health emergency.

Related Articles:

The Scope of US Medical Debt Right Now w/ Kinika Young

Health Affairs — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Kinika Young of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to the program to discuss a recent final rule/advisory issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and how this rule will impact the scope of medical debt in the US today.

Check out a recently released Health Policy brief from Nathaniel Tran and Gilbert Gonzales exploring how public debates and enactments of both pro- and anti-LGBTQI+ policies affect LGBTQI+ populations in the places where they live, learn, work, play, and age.

Also, join Health Affairs on February 25 for an exclusive Insider virtual event featuring Stacie Dusetzina and Laura Tollen discussing HHS’s announcement of the 15 additional drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiations, including weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.

Related Articles:

New Federal Guidance Puts Medical Debt Collectors On Notice (Health Affairs Forefront)
Consumer advisory: Pause and review your rights when you hear from a medical debt collector (CFPB)
Nearly 1 in 2 Patients with Medical Debt Feel "Trapped," New Poll from Leading Health Care Orgs Find (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)

Biden's Final Food & Health Policies

Health Affairs — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 14:15:34 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Ellen Bayer to the program to examine the US Food & Drug Administration's most recent work on food and nutrition policy, as well as what was done in the final days of the Biden administration and where things stand today.

Health Affairs will be releasing a theme issue focusing on Food, Nutrition, & Health in April 2025.

Next week, Health Affairs will be releasing their February 2025 issue that will feature a health policy road map for a new US administration. The papers featured in this road map have been published ahead-of-print. Order your copy today.

Related Articles:

Health Policy at a Crossroads: Trump's First Week w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Katie Keith of Georgetown Law to the program to discuss what to watch for in 2025 as the Trump administration takes office and what that could mean for future health policy regulations.

Katie Keith helped us kickoff a new Health Affairs Forefront series entitled Health Policy At A Crossroads. Check out the first installment.

Health Affairs also published an ahead-of-print series of papers. The Vital Directions for Health and Health Care: Priorities for 2025, features seven articles highlighting key areas for action and transformative change in US health care.

Related Articles:

Health Policy At A Crossroads: What To Watch In 2025 (Health Affairs Forefront)
Following The ACA series (Health Affairs Forefront)

New Year, New Hospital Price Transparency Requirements

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack back to the program to discuss the latest hospital price transparency requirements that began in 2025, how many hospitals are actually following these regulations, and what effect noncompliance has on consumers' access to health care.

Check out a recently released Health Policy brief from Derek Griffith and Andrew Twinamatsiko exploring the laws and policies prohibiting the discussion of what the Trump administration labeled “divisive concepts” and their impact on health equity.

And we recently unveiled a refresh to our Health Affairs Insider program. Learn more about the recent changes and how to become an Insider today!

Watch our Virtual Briefing on Uses of Health Care Price Transparency Data: Status, Innovations, & Opportunities

Related Articles:

Many hospitals still aren’t complying with price transparency rule: OIG (Healthcare Dive)
HHS: Nearly half of hospitals aren’t following CMS price transparency rule (Healthcare Brew)
Latest updates to hospital price transparency rules aim to make the data more useful (Stat News)

The Scope of Medicare Fraud

Health Affairs — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 01:00:00 -0500

Happy New Year!

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Deputy Editor Rob Lott back to the program to explore Medicare fraud, how prevalent it is, who's most at risk, and what measures are being taken to protect Medicare beneficiaries.

Health Affairs just released our January 2025 issue on Medicare, Care Delivery, Medicare Advantage, and more. Order your copy today!

Also, we just released our best of 2024 retrospective lists. These include:

And we recently unveiled a refresh to our Health Affairs Insider program. Learn more about the recent changes and how to become an Insider today!

Related Articles:

Medicare Beneficiaries’ Exposure To Fraud And Abuse Perpetrators (Health Affairs)
Fiscal Year 2024 Improper Payments Fact Sheet (CMS)
Improper Payments Measurement Programs (CMS)

Holly Jolly Health Expenditures

Health Affairs — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack back to the program to discuss the recently released 2023 health care spending report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Learn more about the report from our ahead-of-print article from Anne B. Martin and colleagues from CMS.

Last week, Health Affairs announced that Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil will leave his role at the end of the year. Read about Weil's achievements during his tenure at Health Affairs.

Related Articles:

National Health Expenditures In 2023: Faster Growth As Insurance Coverage And Utilization Increased (Health Affairs)
Beyond National Health Expenditure Data: Three Things I Wish Were Better Measured (Health Affairs Forefront)
National Health Expenditure Projections, 2023–32: Payer Trends Diverge As Pandemic-Related Policies Fade (Health Affairs)

A Disproportionate Share: The Future of Safety Net Hospitals & Payment Policies

Health Affairs — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs This Week is off for a few weeks. We will return for a special episode in December before returning to our regular schedule in January 2025.

For the next few weeks, we present the three-part A Disproportionate Share, a podcast from NYC Health + Hospitals's Michael Shen, a primary care doctor and Chief Creative Officer for the medical education podcast Core IM, as part of the Health Affairs Pathways show that we published in 2023. We encourage listeners to check out the other series from that podcast.

Unique series were created by fellows at the Health Affairs Podcast Fellowship Program, designed to support early to mid-stage professionals pursue an audio project and tell a unique health care story.

In A Disproportionate Share, NYC Health + Hospitals's Michael Shen, a primary care doctor and Chief Creative Officer for the medical education podcast Core IM, explores the role of safety net hospitals in caring for America's vulnerable populations.

In the final episode, Shen discusses why supplemental payments for safety net hospitals might be at risk and look at policy approach that could bolster the safety net. He interviews individuals from NYC Health + Hospitals, America's Essential Hospitals, and University of Pennsylvania.

Related Links:

Michael Shen
Disproportionate Share Hospital (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
Variation and Changes in the Targeting of Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments (Health Affairs)
Annual Analysis of Disproportionate Share Hospital Allotment to States - 2022 (MACPAC)
For Disproportionate-Share Hospitals, Taxes and Fees Curtail Medicaid Payments (Health Affairs)

A Disproportionate Share: A Complex Patchwork of Supplemental Payments

Health Affairs — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs This Week is off for a few weeks. We will return for a special episode in December before returning to our regular schedule in January 2025.

In the second episode, Shen discusses how we pay for essential care for low income patients delivered through our safety net hospitals and the complex patchwork of supplemental payments for such care. He interviews individuals from America's Essential Hospitals and NYC Health + Hospitals to explain cost-shifting, uncompensated care, payer mixes, cash on-hand, and more.

Related Links:

What Types of Hospitals Form the Safety Net? (Health Affairs)
Podcast: Understanding Private Equity Investment in Hospitals (A Health Podyssey)
Can Safety-Net Hospital Systems Redesign Themselves To Achieve Financial Viability? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Safety-Net Hospitals More Likely Than Other Hospitals To Fare Poorly Under Medicare's Value-Based Purchasing (Health Affairs)

A Disproportionate Share: Meditations on Safety Net Hospitals & How We Pay For Them

Health Affairs — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs This Week is off for the next three weeks. We will return for a special episode in December before returning to our regular schedule in January 2025.

For the next three weeks, we present the three-part A Disproportionate Share, a podcast from NYC Health + Hospitals's Michael Shen, a primary care doctor and Chief Creative Officer for the medical education podcast Core IM, as part of the Health Affairs Pathways show that we published in 2023. We encourage listeners to check out the other series from that podcast.

In this first episode, Shen looks at the closure of Hahnemann University Hospital, a large urban hospital affiliated with a major academic medical center, to ask how safety net hospitals sustain themselves on thin financial margins. He shares what safety net hospitals are and their role in caring for America's vulnerable populations.

Related Links:

Michael Shen
Graduate Medical Education Should Not Be A Commodity (Health Affairs)
Podcast: Graduate Medical Education Should Not Be A Commodity (Health Affairs Narrative Matters)
The Death of Hahnemann Hospital (The New Yorker)
To Protect America's Safety-Net Hospitals, Establish a New Federal Designation (Health Affairs Forefront)

Listen to the full series here.

Medicare Shared Savings Program Mints $2B Win for Value-Based Care w/ Frank McStay

Health Affairs — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Frank McStay of Duke Margolis Institute for Health Policy to discuss the results of a recent CMS report that explores the impacts of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in 2023 and beyond.

Health Affairs’s Research and Justice For All podcast returns for its second season, focusing on drivers of health.

Bookmark Health Affairs Forefront to keep an eye out for future articles from guest Frank McStay and colleagues.

Related Articles:

PRESS RELEASE: Medicare Shared Savings Program Continues to Deliver Meaningful Savings and High-Quality Health Care
Building On CMS's Accountable Care Vision To Improve Care For Medicare Beneficiaries (Health Affairs Forefront)
Do Teams Work Better Than Solo Providers? Spoiler Alert: Yes (A Health Podyssey)

How the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Will Impact Family Caregivers w/ Jason Resendez

Health Affairs — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Jason Resendez, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, to discuss the recent finalization of CMS's 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and how these policies will impact family caregivers and the integration of these individuals into the health care system.

Health Affairs’s Research and Justice For All podcast returns for its second season, focusing on drivers of health. Check out the first episode.

Check out the 200th episode of A Health Podyssey featuring Leemore Dafny of the Harvard Business School discussing vertical integration.

Join Health Affairs on November 20 for a virtual event with John Bowblis examining how the loss of public health emergency funds challenges the financial viability of nursing homes.

Related Articles:

PRESS RELEASE: HHS Finalizes Physician Payment Rule Strengthening Person-Centered Care and Health Quality Measures
11/20/2024: Caregiver Nation Summit (Agenda and Virtual Attendance Options)

Zachary Baron Shares What A Trump Presidency May Mean for Health Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Zachary Baron of Georgetown University's O'Neill Institute to discuss what the outcome of the 2024 US Presidential Election could mean for future health care decisions.

Order the November 2024 issue of Health Affairs with a focus on health insurance, pharmaceuticals, and more.

Check out a recent episode of A Health Podyssey featuring author Janice Jhang discussing her recent paper from the November 2024 issue that explores how regulatory and market forces are driving adoption of biosimilars.

Join Health Affairs on November 20 for a virtual event with Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad and author John Bowblis examining how the loss of public health emergency funds challenges the financial viability of nursing homes.

Related Articles from Zachary Baron:

New Lawsuit Threatens Affordable Care Act’s Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions (Health Affairs Forefront)
Supreme Court Overrules Chevron Doctrine: Ripple Effects Across Health Care (Health Affairs Forefront)
Another Administration Win In Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Lawsuits (Health Affairs Forefront)

Health-Related State Ballot Measures On Deck This Election Season

Health Affairs — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Deputy Editor Rob Lott back to the program to discuss the 2024 election on the state level with ballot initiatives focused on reproductive health, cannabis restrictions, Medicaid work requirements, and more.

Check out our upcoming events:

11/7/2024 - BRIEFING: Financial Integration of Medicare and Medicaid: Necessary But Not Sufficient (Open to All)
11/20/2024 - JOURNAL CLUB: Nursing Home Financial Stability and Funding Challenges (Health Affairs Insiders Exclusive Event)

Related Articles:

HEALTH POLICY BRIEF: Direct Democracy And Population Health: Making Health Policy Through State Ballot Initiatives (Health Affairs)

Frontline Struggles from the Retail Health Clinic Market

Health Affairs — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack back to the program to discuss the current state of retail clinics within retailers such as Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart, the challenges these operations have faced, and what the future implications for consumers might be as some retailers shutter some arms of these operations.

Check out our 2024 Election Collection available from Health Affairs with featured paywalled content made available for $39.95.

Related Articles:

Why Retail Health Clinics Failed (Harvard Business Review)
Why Walmart, Walgreens, CVS retail health clinic experiment is struggling (CNBC)
CVS and Walgreens are ailing. Here’s why (NPR)

Health Policy on the 2024 Presidential Campaign Trail

Health Affairs — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Ellen Bayer to the program to take a closer look at the health care-related topics tied to the upcoming US presidential election. The two cover home care, reproductive health, drug pricing, and more throughout their conversation.

RSVP for our upcoming Journal Club Event on 10/21 featuring an examination on the timing of new drug launches in low-, middle-, and high-income markets from 1982 to 2024.

Check out our 2024 Election Collection available from Health Affairs with featured paywalled content made available for $39.95.

This week, Forefront debuted a new series focusing on "Ethics and Health System Change." The first article from M Gregg Bloche can be read here and information about submitting articles for the symposium can be found through our submission portal.

Related Articles:

Eye on The IRA series (Health Affairs)
2024 Election Collection (Health Affairs)
PBMs. What Are They Hiding? w/ Stacie Dusetzina (Health Affairs This Week)
Rachel Sachs Explains the FTC's Pharmacy Benefit Manager Lawsuit & PBM Reform (Health Affairs This Week)

Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Continue to Fade but Market Marches On Into 2025

Health Affairs — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the program to discuss Medicare open enrollment, the newly-announced 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings, and how large insurance companies may be scaling back Medicare Advantage product offerings.

Check out the October 2024 issue of Health Affairs.

RSVP for our upcoming Journal Club Event on 10/21 featuring an examination on the timing of new drug launches in low-, middle-, and high-income markets from 1982 to 2024.

Check out our 2024 Election Collection available from Health Affairs with featured paywalled content made available for $39.95.

In preparation of our November 2024, explore a new ahead-of-print article from Gary Claxton and coauthors on employer strategies for covering GLP-1 agonists, mental health, substance use, and other family benefits as employer-sponsored health insurance premiums continue to increase.

Related Articles:

PRESS RELEASE FROM CMS NEWSROOM: 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings
Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits: Origins, Evolution, And Issues For Policy Making (Health Affairs Forefront)

RERUN: Diving into the New CMS' National Health Expenditures Projections w/ Michael Chernew

Health Affairs — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 01:00:00 -0400

This episode was originally published on June 14, 2024.

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Michael Chernew to discuss the recently released National Health Expenditures Projections for 2023–32 from the Office of the Actuary (OACT) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Join us for these upcoming events:

6/18/24 - Journal Club: “Community Power-Building Groups And Public Health NGOs: Reimagining Public Health Advocacy”
7/10/24 - Lunch and Learn: Supreme Court Wrap-Up

Related Articles:

Rachel Sachs Explains the FTC's Pharmacy Benefit Manager Lawsuit & PBM Reform

Health Affairs — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Rachel Sachs of Washington University, St. Louis to discuss a recent lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against the three largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the country for rebating practices that the FTC claims resulted in inflating the list price of insulin.

Health Affairs just released an Election 2024 resource hub for research and studies associated with key issues in the upcoming US presidential election.

Related Articles:

PBMs. What Are They Hiding? w/ Stacie Dusetzina (Health Affairs This Week)
FTC sues major pharmacy benefit managers over insulin prices (Healthcare Dive)
The Implications Of Rutledge v. PCMA For State Health Care Cost Regulation (Health Affairs Forefront)

The Digital Transformation-Data Quality Puzzle w/ Brad Ryan of NCQA

Health Affairs — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Brad Ryan, MD, Chief Growth Officer at NCQA, to the program to discuss the evolving state of EHRs, who owns the data, whether providers are excited about data standards, and what opportunities could be out there as health care embraces more digital efforts and arrangements.

Health Affairs released an ahead-of-print article this week by Gillian K. SteelFisher and coauthors examining the public awareness and perceptions of Paxlovid as well as discovering that a majority of Americans have limited awareness of the at-home COVID-19 treatment.

Order the September 2024 issue of Health Affairs.

Related Articles:

The Evolution of Medicare Advantage's Supplemental Benefits

Health Affairs — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the program to discuss the upcoming 2024 open enrollment season for Medicare and what changes to expect with recent news that large insurance companies may be scaling back Medicare Advantage offerings in the coming year.

Learn more about our upcoming events in September:

9/24 - Briefing: The Future of Telehealth and Its Impact on Primary Care (open to all)
9/25 - Journal Club: Biosimilars and Their Impacts on Costs and Market Choices (Insider Exclusive)

Related Articles:

Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits: Origins, Evolution, And Issues For Policy Making (Health Affairs Forefront)
Call For Forefront Submissions on Supplemental Benefits In Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage vendors brace for supplemental benefits cuts (Modern Healthcare)
Cigna to cut Medicare Advantage plans in several states (Modern Healthcare)

Parental Stress New Focus for US Surgeon General

Health Affairs — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Jessica Bylander to the program to discuss a recent health advisory issued by US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declaring parental stress as a public health challenge. They also discuss the Murthy's focus on social media and its impact on mental health.

Learn more about our upcoming events in September:

9/24 - Briefing: The Future of Telehealth and Its Impact on Primary Care (open to all)
9/25 - Journal Club: Biosimilars and Their Impacts on Costs and Market Choices (Insider Exclusive)

Related Articles:

US Surgeon General Advisory on Parental Mental Health & Well-Being | HHS Press Release
Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms (The New York Times)
Higher COVID-19 Vaccination and Narrower Disparities in US Cities with Paid Sick Leave Compared to Those Without (Health Affairs)
State Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Associated With a Decline in Emergency Department Use in the US, 2011-19 (Health Affairs)
High Job Flexibility and Paid Sick Leave Increase Health Care Access and Use Among US Workers (Health Affairs)

FTC's National Noncompete Ban is Down But Is It Out?

Health Affairs — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Chris Fleming to the program to discuss the latest hurdle to the FTC's attempt to ban noncompete agreements in employment contracts, and what the implications are for the health care industry.

This week, Health Affairs released their September 2024 issue focusing on access to care, coverage, & more.

Read the issue here and order your copy today!

Health Affairs also published a new health policy brief from Paula Lantz and Emma Carter about the role of direct democracy in state policy making as it relates to the drivers of population health and health disparities.

Related Articles:

The FTC's Noncompete Rule: Legal Challenges And Potential Solutions For Physician Markets (Health Affairs Forefront)
Judge strikes down FTC noncompete ban nationwide (Healthcare Dive)
Fight over health noncompete pacts far from over (Axios)

Universal Basic Income, Health Equity & Social Democracy w/ Seth Berkowitz

Health Affairs — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Seth Berkowitz of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine to the program to discuss his recent book "Equal Care: Health Equity, Social Democracy, and the Egalitarian State," which offers a vision for the future of health equity by examining the social mechanisms that link injustice to poor health.

Order the September 2024 issue of Health Affairs.

Check out A Health Podyssey to hear further insights from authors featured in our journal.

Learn more about Seth's book.

Related Articles:

Unconditional Cash Study (OpenResearch)
Food Insecurity Was Associated With Greater Family Health Care Expenditures In The US, 2016–17 (Health Affairs)
Unmet Social Needs And Worse Mental Health After Expiration Of COVID-19 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (Health Affairs)
Food Insecurity, Missed Workdays, And Hospitalizations Among Working-Age US Adults With Diabetes (Health Affairs)

A Peek Behind the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Curtain

Health Affairs — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Ellen Bayer to the program to discuss the ongoing progress of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, how it's being implemented, and how we can best evaluate the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program.

Health Affairs will be hosting a virtual Journal Club event on Tuesday, August 27, entitled "Coverage of Anti-Obesity Medicines Could Increase Medicare Spending By Billions" featuring author Benedic Ippolito discussing his recent paper on the topic.

This event is exclusive to our Health Affairs Insiders.

If you have yet to become an Insider, sign up today to stay up-to-date on what health care experts are thinking and talking about.

Related Articles:

The Increasing Cyber Risk of Health Care Data

Health Affairs — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack back to the program to discuss recent cybersecurity events that have affected both health care businesses and patients alike, prevention measures, and what does a provider do when their technology tools aren't working.

This week, Health Affairs published two ahead-of-print articles. You can check those out below:

Related Articles:

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Bolsters Protections for Americans’ Access to Healthcare Through Strengthening Cybersecurity

PBMs. What Are They Hiding? w/ Stacie Dusetzina

Health Affairs — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Stacie Dusetzina of Vanderbilt University back to the program to discuss an interim staff report released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about the impact that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have on the accessibility and affordability of prescription drugs.

Check out the August 2024 issue of Health Affairs.

RSVP for our upcoming Age-Friendly Health Briefing entitled "What Do Recent Nursing Home Developments Mean for Residents, Families, and the Future of Long-Term Care?" in partnership with The John A. Hartford Foundation.

Become an Insider to not miss out on Stacie Dusetzina's exclusive newsletter, Policy Prescription, which focuses on drug pricing.

Related Articles:

PRESS RELEASE: FTC Releases Interim Staff Report on Prescription Drug Middlemen
Merging Medical And Drug Benefits: Seeing The Whole Picture (Health Affairs Forefront)
Three Key Ways To Strengthen Proposed Pharmacy Benefit Manager Regulations (Health Affairs Forefront)

HHS Proposes Requirements To Advance Maternal Quality Improvement Efforts

Health Affairs — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Marianne Amoss to the program to explore the state of maternal health in health care and what a recent policy proposal from CMS could do to reduce maternal mortality and advance health equity.

Become an Insider to not miss out on Stacie Dusetzina's exclusive newsletter, Policy Prescription, which focuses on drug pricing.

Related Articles:

PRESS RELEASE: Biden Harris Administration Proposes Policies to Reduce Maternal Mortality, Advance Health Equity, and Support Underserved Communities (CMS)
How bad is maternal mortality in the U.S.? A new study says it's been overestimated by Selena Simmons-Duffin (NPR)

The Plan to Remove Medical Debt From Credit Reports

Health Affairs — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Deputy Editor Rob Lott to the program to discuss a recent policy proposal that would result in prohibiting medical debt from being included in credit reporting and how the upcoming presidential election could play into the policy's implementation.

Read our "ahead-of-print" article on how adverse childhood experiences and health care utilization and expenditures.

Check out this year's You're A Health Policy Wonk If... contest!

Submit an abstract for our upcoming theme issue focusing on Food, Nutrition, and Health. Submissions are due by Monday, July 29th.

Submit an article for the Forefront series "Supplemental Benefits in Medicare Advantage." Submissions will be taken on a rolling basis through June 2025.

Related Articles:

FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces Proposal to Prohibit Medical Bills from Being Included on Credit Reports and Calls on States and Localities to Take Further Actions to Reduce Medical Debt
Illness And Injury As Contributors To Bankruptcy (Health Affairs)
Medical Bankruptcy: Dranove And Millenson Respond (Health Affairs)
The Joint Distribution Of High Out-Of-Pocket Burdens, Medical Debt, And Financial Barriers To Needed Care (Health Affairs)
HEALTH POLICY BRIEF: Health, Income, & Poverty: Where We Are & What Could Help (Health Affairs)

New Alzheimer's Drug Approval Expands Treatment Options — and Creates Coverage Questions

Health Affairs — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack to the program to discuss FDA's recent approval of an Alzheimer's treatment drug, Lilly’s Kisunla, how private insurers and Medicare may cover the drug, and the emerging new class of drugs surrounding Alzheimer's treatment.

We announced the winner for our You're A Health Policy Wonk If... contest this week!

Until July 20, we are having a flash sale on Health Affairs Insider membership. Use the code HealthWonkLife for $30 off the normal Insider price.

Check out our Request For Abstracts page for the April 2025 theme issue focusing on Food, Nutrition, and Health.

Related Articles:

Approval of Newest Alzheimer’s Drug Will Accelerate New Era of Treatment by Peter Loftus and Joseph Walker (Wall Street Journal)
Press Release: Lilly's Kisunla Approved by the FDA for the Treatment of Early Symptomatic Alzheimer's Disease

The Chevron Deference is Dead. What Now? w/ Andrew Twinamatsiko

Health Affairs — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Andrew Twinamatsiko of O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law back to the program to discuss the Supreme Court's recent overturning of the Chevron doctrine and the implications for health policy moving forward.

Check out our Request For Abstracts page for the April 2025 theme issue focusing on Food, Nutrition, and Health.

Related Articles:

The Supreme Court And The Future Of Expert Preventive Recommendations by Richard Hughes IV (Forefront)
Two Obscure Cases about Fish May Disempower Health Agencies by Suhasini Ravi, Andrew Twinamatsiko, and Lawrence O. Gostin (MedPage Today)
What the Supreme Court’s Rulings on Chevron in Loper Bright Enterprises and Relentless Could Mean for Health Care by Suhasini Ravi (The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law)

Scene Report from AcademyHealth's ARM Conference

Health Affairs — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers chats with Senior Editors Kathleen Haddad and Meg Winchester about their recent trip to AcademyHealth's 2024 Annual Research Meeting (ARM) in Baltimore and the main takeaways that the two found regarding private equity, opioid use, and solutions-orientated research.

Order the July 2024 Issue of Health Affairs.

Related Links:

Request For Abstracts – Food, Nutrition, And Health
Protecting Patients And Society In An Era Of Private Equity Provider Ownership: Challenges And Opportunities For Policy by Christopher Cai and Zirui Song (Health Affairs, May 2024)
A Health Podyssey: Christopher Cai on Responding To Challenges Posed By Private Equity
Accountable Care for Population Health (a Forefront series)

Why the Supreme Court Rejected a Challenge to Abortion Medication w/ Andrew Twinamatsiko

Health Affairs — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Andrew Twinamatsiko of O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law to discuss a recent Supreme Court decision to reject a challenge to the FDA's approval of abortion medication.

Join us for this upcoming event:

7/10/24 - Lunch and Learn: Supreme Court Wrap-Up (Health Affairs Insider Exclusive Event)
- Become an Insider this week for $40 Off when you use the code InsiderAtTwo at checkout.

Related Articles:

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Abortion Medication, But At What Cost? by Andrew Twinamatsiko et al. (Forefront)

Breaking Down the CBO's Insurance Coverage Projections w/ Sabrina Corlette

Health Affairs — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Sabrina Corlette of Georgetown University to discuss an ahead-of-print article released this week that outlines the Congressional Budget Office's health insurance coverage projections in the US for 2024-34.

The conversation discusses what went into the CBO's estimates and how the upcoming presidential election may play a big role in how these projections shape up in the future to come.

Join us for this upcoming event:

7/10/24 - Lunch and Learn: Supreme Court Wrap-Up

Related Articles:

Health Insurance Coverage Projections For The US Population And Sources Of Coverage, By Age, 2024–34 by Jessica Hale et al. (Health Affairs)
CBO Projections Are Not Destiny: Policies, ACA Investments Can Change Trajectory by Sabrina Corlette (Forefront)
CBO Publishes New Projections Related to Health Insurance for 2024 to 2034

Scene Report from CMS' Health Equity Conference

Health Affairs — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers chats with Senior Editor Michael Gerber about his recent trip to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Health Equity Conference in Bethesda and the main takeaways that he found from the diversity of panels offered.

Order the Reimagining Public Health Theme Issue of Health Affairs.

Join us for our next edition of Journal Club on June 18.

Become an Insider today! For the month of June, you can become an Insider with a $40 discount by using the code InsiderAtTwo.

Related Links:

Obesity Medications & What You'll Pay For Them — If You Can Get Them w/ Stacie Dusetzina

Health Affairs — Fri, 31 May 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers talks with Stacie Dusetzina of Vanderbilt University about the current state of obesity medications like Ozempic, the likelihood of insurance coverage, their costs, drug shortages, and how to ensure this medication finds its way to patients.

Join Health Affairs Insider to learn more about drug pricing with Stacie Dusetzina. For the month of June, use the code InsiderAtTwo to get $40 off of an Insider membership (offer ends on 6/30/24).

The deadline is today (5/31/24) to submit your entry for the "You're A Health Policy Wonk If" Contest and try your chance at winning a subscription to Health Affairs for the next year.

Be sure to RSVP for our upcoming Theme Issue Briefing on Reimagining Public Health!

Following the Rules: Nursing Facilities Staffing and Organ Transplants

Health Affairs — Fri, 24 May 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers talks with Marianne Amoss about recent federal rulemaking activity over nursing facility staff levels and CMS' proposed mandatory kidney transplant value-based model.

Read the newly published article "Judicial Decisions Constraining Public Health Powers During COVID-19" from our upcoming Reimaging Public Health theme issue.

Related Links:

FTC Voted to Ban Noncompetes. Will It Actually Happen? w/ Rebecca Pifer

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 May 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers interviews Healthcare Dive's Rebecca Pifer to discuss the FTC's move to ban noncompete agreements.

Join Health Affairs Insider.

Related Links:

FTC votes to ban noncompetes, with far-reaching effects on doctors (Healthcare Dive)

What Walmart Health's Demise Says About Retail Health and Telehealth Markets

Health Affairs — Fri, 10 May 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers and Jessica Bylander go over the demise of Walmart Health and the health of retail clinics and telemedicine.

Order the May issue of Health Affairs.

Finish the sentence: You're A Health Policy Wonk If...

Related Links:

Walmart shuttering all 51 health centers, citing lack of profitability (FierceHealthcare)
The Impact of Telemedicine on Medicare Utilization, Spending, and Quality, 2019-22 (Health Affairs)
Variation In Telemedicine Use And Outpatient Care During The COVID-19 Pandemic In The United States (Health Affairs)
What is the cost of starting a medical practice? (Wolters Kluwer)
Telehealth and COVID-19 (FAIR Health)

The Rise - and Future - of Medicare Advantage w/ Jack Hoadley

Health Affairs — Fri, 03 May 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers interviews Jack Hoadley from Georgetown University about the final rule for the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs for 2025.

Read the new Health Policy Brief on digital inclusion.

Join us for our ONC 20th anniversary event on May 9.

Finish the sentence and win an online journal subscription for a year: You're a health policy wonk if...

Become a Health Affairs Insider to read our newsletters on drug pricing, antitrust, and more.

Related Links:

Differences in Use of Services and Quality of Care in Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare, 2010 and 2017 (Health Affairs)
Increased Medicare Advantage Penetration is Associated with Lower Postacute Care Use for Traditional Medicare Patients (Health Affairs)
DTC Companies Double Down on Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits (Health Affairs This Week)

How the ACA Market Has Matured w/ Sabrina Corlette and Jason Levitis

Health Affairs — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 01:00:00 -0400

This month, HHS released the final "Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters" for 2025.

This final notice sets standards and requirements for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and health insurers. Sabrina Corlette and Jason Levitis, who both co-authored a piece about the notice in Health Affairs Forefront, join Health Affairs This Week host Jeff Byers to discuss the new standards and how the ACA marketplace has matured over the years.

Read the "ahead-of-print" article, "The Impact of Telemedicine on Medicare Utilization, Spending, and Quality, 2019-2022."

Related Links:

Final 2025 Payment Notice: Marketplace Standards and Insurance Reforms (Health Affairs Forefront)

The State of Antitrust & Private Equity in Health Care w/ Brent Fulton

Health Affairs — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs This Week is back!

Host Jeff Byers interviews Brent Fulton from University of California, Berkeley about the current state of antitrust and private equity in health care.

Brent is an author of a special newsletter from Health Affairs Insider on antitrust and markets in health care. Subscribe to Insider to catch Brent's and our other Insider newsletters on drug pricing (from Stacie Dusetzina), health spending, and health equity.

Join Insider.

Related Links:

Private Equity-Acquired Physician Practices and Market Penetration Increased Substantially, 2012-21 (Health Affairs)

Behind The Pages: Perinatal Mental Health & Well-Being

Health Affairs — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad and Rob Lott go behind the pages of the new April issue focusing on Perinatal Mental Health & Well-Being. Their conversation provides insight into what has changed since Health Affairs published their first theme issue on the subject, which featured papers left a resounding impact on the editors, and so much more.

Health Affairs would like to thank Perigee Fund, the California Health Care Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Hilton Foundation, Cambia Health Foundation, and Con Alma Foundation for their financial support of this issue.

Order the April 2024 Health Affairs Perinatal Mental Health & Well-Being theme issue!

Related Links:

Research and Justice For All: How the Private Sector Can Address Health Equity

Health Affairs — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 01:00:00 -0400

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health. This is the final episode of the first season.

Guest: Rashad Burgess, Vice President of Advancing Health and Black Equity at Gilead Sciences

CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Rashad Burgess of Gilead Sciences about how private sector companies can advance health equity goals. They also discuss how Gilead is addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black and brown communities throughout Southern states in the US.

This season is sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Links:

LGBTQ+ Health Is An Essential Component of Public Health Equity Efforts (Health Affairs Forefront)
Building Community Power To Dismantle Policy-Based Structural Inequity In Population Health (Health Affairs)
About the Gilead COMPASS Initiative® (Gilead)
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Legislation (Health Resources & Services Administration)

Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

Research and Justice For All: Leveraging Data to Drive Outcomes in Health Equity

Health Affairs — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 01:00:00 -0400

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health.

Guest: Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Chief Health Officer, Google

CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Karen DeSalvo of Google on how to leverage data and partnerships to drive positive, equitable health outcomes. They also discuss both the public and private sector approaches to promoting health equity.

This season is sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Links:

A Health System’s Experience With Inclusive Race And Ethnicity Data Collection, And The Need For Data Equity Principles (Health Affairs)
Building a Clinical Team in a Large Technology Company (NEJM Catalyst)
Google is committed to health equity (Google)
Explore COVID-19 Symptoms Search Trends (Google)
Med-PaLM (Google Research)

Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

Research and Justice For All: Mental Health and Health Equity

Health Affairs — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 01:00:00 -0400

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health.

Guest: Dr. Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, MD, Head of Medical and Clinical Strategy at Headway and CEO and Founder of Well Minds Psychiatry & Consulting

CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Nicole Christian-Brathwaite of Headway and Well Minds Psychiatry & Consulting about the impact that mental health care disparities have had on historically marginalized communities and strategic approaches that can improve mental health outcomes.

This season is sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Links:

Addressing The Mental Health Equity Crisis: Can The Private Sector Lead? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Headway x Violet - Improving access to inclusive mental health care (Headway)
Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Data Summary & Trends Report (CDC)

Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

Research and Justice For All: Maternal Health and Health Equity

Health Affairs — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 01:00:00 -0500

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health.

Guest: Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, AVP for Health Equity at Merck and Lead of Merck for Mothers

CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Mary-Ann Etiebet of Merck about how to address disparities in maternal health outcomes and the contributions of the Merck for Mothers initiative.

This season is sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Links:

Employers Can Help Raise The Bar for Reproductive Health Equity (Health Affairs Forefront)
The US Maternal Health Crisis: It’s Time To Reverse The Trend (Merck For Mothers)
Improving Maternal Health Equity in the US (Safer Childbirth Cities)
Maternal Health of Women and Girls of African Descent in the Americas (UNFPA)

Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

Research and Justice For All: How Health Equity Accreditation is Changing Health Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 01:00:00 -0500

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health.

Guest: Bryan O. Buckley, Director of Health Equity Initiatives at the National Committee for Quality Assurance

CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Bryan O. Buckley of the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) about health equity accreditation and why collaboration with communities is key to improving health equity.

This season is sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Links:

Private Sector Companies Must Partner With Communities To Advance Health Equity (Health Affairs Forefront)
Community Trust And Relationships: The Key For Strengthening Public Health Systems (Health Affairs Forefront)
NCQA’s Health Equity Accreditation Programs (NCQA)
HEDIS and Performance Measurement (NCQA)

Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

Research and Justice For All: Health Care Role in Health Equity

Health Affairs — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 01:00:00 -0500

This is a special pod of the first episode of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health.

Guest: Thomas Sequist, Chief Medical Officer at Massachusetts General Brigham

In the first episode of Research and Justice For All, CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Thomas Sequist from Massachusetts General Brigham on the important role of health and hospital systems in driving health equity in the US.

This season is sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Links:

Beyond Research, Taking Action Against Racism (Health Affairs Forefront)
United Against Racism 2-Year Anniversary: A Reflection from Mass General Brigham’s Chief Community Health & Health Equity Officer (Massachusetts General Brigham)
Mass General Community Health (Massachusetts General Hospital)

Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

Behind The Pages: Housing and Health

Health Affairs — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Rob Lott go behind the pages of the new February issue focusing on Housing and Health. Their conversation provides insight into the approach taken for this particular theme issue, the relationship between housing and health, a number of the journal articles featured and so much more.

Health Affairs would like to thank Kaiser Permanente, The Colorado Health Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California Health Care Foundation, and The California Endowment, whose generous support made the theme issue possible.

Order the February 2024 Health Affairs Housing and Health theme issue!

Related Links:

Michael Lens on Low-Density Zoning and Neighborhood Segregation

Health Affairs — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 01:00:00 -0500

In a special series on housing and health, Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Michael Lens from the University of California Los Angeles.

This is a special series leading up to the release of a theme issue on housing and health, which will be released next week.

Pre-order the issue here.

Related Links:

Low-Density Zoning, Health, and Health Equity (Health Affairs)
Residential Segregation and Health: History, Harms, and Next Steps (Health Affairs)
Public Policies to Address Residential Segregation and Improve Health (Health Affairs)

Ingrid Gould Ellen on Housing Mobility and Health

Health Affairs — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 01:00:00 -0500

In a special series on housing and health, Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Ingrid Gould Ellen from the NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.

This is a special series leading up to the release of a theme issue on housing and health in February.

Pre-order the issue here.

Related Links:

Eviction and Health: A Vicious Cycle Exacerbated by a Pandemic (Health Affairs)
Housing Mobility Programs and Health Outcomes (Health Affairs)
Gentrification and the Health of Legacy Residents (Health Affairs)

Craig Pollack on Low Income Housing Tax Credits

Health Affairs — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 01:00:00 -0500

In a special series on housing and health, Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Craig Pollack from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

This is a special series leading up to the release of a theme issue on housing and health in February.

Pre-order the issue here.

Related Links:

Using the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to Fill the Rental Housing Gap (Health Affairs)

Corianne Scally Gives an Overview on Housing and Health

Health Affairs — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 01:00:00 -0500

In a special series on housing and health, Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Corianne Scally from the Urban Institute.

This is a special series leading up to the release of a theme issue on housing and health in February.

Pre-order the issue here.

Related Links:

Housing and Health: An Overview of the Literature (Health Affairs)
Housing and Health: The Role of Inclusionary Zoning (Health Affairs)

Behind the Pages: Global Lessons From COVID-19

Health Affairs — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Margaret Saunders go behind the pages to discuss the latest theme issue from Health Affairs on Global Lessons From COVID-19.

Health Policy 2023 Wrapped

Health Affairs — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs's Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott take cues from Spotify Wrapped to look back to the most important headlines from the first eleven months of 2023. They discuss Medicaid unwinding, drug price negotiations, life after Dobbs, Ozempic, artificial intelligence, COVID-19, affirmative action, and more.

Related Links:

Maintaining Coverage Gains During Medicaid Unwinding (Health Affairs Forefront)
The Future Of COVID-19 Vaccine Development (Health Affairs Forefront)
Arriving At A Fair Price In The Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program: Considerations From Other Countries (Health Affairs Forefront)
How Will The Executive Order On Artificial Intelligence Impact Health Care? (Health Affairs Forefront)
A Year After Dobbs: Diminishing Access To Obstetric-Gynecologic And Maternal-Fetal Care (Health Affairs Forefront)
T-Swift of stocks: Ozempic is unending markets, despite unknowns (Axios)
With affirmative action off the table, medical schools plan new diversity tactics (Stat News)
A roadblock to life-saving addiction treatment is gone. Now what? (NPR)

The AI Executive Order and Why Health Care Should Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Chris Fleming interview Harlan Krumholz from the Yale School of Medicine about President Biden's executive order on artificial intelligence and the implications for health care.

Read the "ahead-of-print" article: "A Systematic Review Of COVID-19 Misinformation Interventions: Lessons Learned"

Related Links:

Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (White House)
How Will The Executive Order On Artificial Intelligence Impact Health Care? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Big Data And New Knowledge In Medicine: The Thinking, Training, And Tools Needed For A Learning Health System (Health Affairs)
The Challenge Of Federal Coverage And Payment For AI Innovation In Health Care (Health Affairs Forefront)

Getting Personal: Racism and Health Equity

Health Affairs — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Vabren Watts chat about the latest developments from the health equity department at Health Affairs. They discuss a recent professional development event for authors, the second theme issue we published on racism and health, Native American Heritage Month, and more.

Related Links:

Professional Development: Writing About Racism in Health Care (Health Affairs Events)
Private Sector Opportunities To Foster American Indian/Alaska Native Health Equity (Health Affairs Forefront)
A Black Woman’s Pandemic Birth Experience (Health Affairs)
Changing How The Health Care Workforce Sees Patients Like Me (Health Affairs)
How Funding Policy Maintains Structural Inequity Within Indigenous Community-Based Organizations (Health Affairs)

Survey Says: Insurance Premiums Are Up

Health Affairs — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Marianne Amoss discuss the findings in KFF's new Employer Health Benefits survey. In the report, KFF finds that annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage will increase 7% on average this year.

Related Links:

Health Benefits In 2023: Premiums Increase With Inflation And Employer Coverage In The Wake Of Dobbs (Health Affairs)
Incorrect Provider Directories Associated With Out-Of-Network Mental Health Care And Outpatient Surprise Bills (Health Affairs)
The Problem With Provider Directories (Health Affairs This Week)
Consistency of Physician Data Across Health Insurer Directories (JAMA)

California Shares Insight Into Modern Health Care Workforce Relations

Health Affairs — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Michael Gerber discuss labor relations and news out of California, providing an update on the Kaiser Permanente workforce strike and how California will raise its minimum wage for health care workers to $25 an hour. So does California, so does the US?

Read the ahead-of-print article, "Health Benefits In 2023: Premiums Increase With Inflation And Employer Coverage In The Wake Of Dobbs."

Related Links:

California sets $25 per hour minimum wage for healthcare workers (Healthcare Dive)
After historic strike, Kaiser Permanente workers win 21% raise over 4 years (NPR)
Addressing the healthcare staffing shortage (Definitive Healthcare)

DTC Companies Double Down on Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits

Health Affairs — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad and Rob Lott discuss the recent news where direct-to-consumer companies continue to expand into the Medicare Advantage territory. They discuss Instacart launching a new grocery benefits and the news out of the HTLH conference in Las Vegas regarding a partnership between Uber and Optum.

Read the health policy brief on Water Insecurity and Population Health.

Listen to the final episode of the first series of Research and Justice For All.

Related Links:

Filling The Gaps: The Role and Value of Supplemental Benefits in Medicare Advantage (Health Affairs Forefront)
Rapid Enrollment Growth In 'Look-Alike' Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans: A Threat To Integrated Care (Health Affairs)
Medicare Advantage Now Chosen By the Majority of Minority and Low-Income Beneficiaries (Health Affairs Forefront)
Instacart Will Accept Medicare Advantage for Grocery Orders (The Verge)
Uber Adds Optum-enabled Benefits Card to Health Platform (Healthcare Dive)

Behind The Pages: Tackling Structural Racism In Health

Health Affairs — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Ellen Bayer explore the new October issue focusing on Structural Racism In Health. Their conversation provides insight into unique online features exclusive to this issue as well as highlighting a number of the journal articles featured.

Health Affairs would like to thank Gilbert Gee of the University of California Los Angeles and Ruqaiijah Yearby of Ohio State University, who served as theme issue advisers.

Health Affairs would also like to thank the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, and the Episcopal Health Foundation for their financial support of this issue.

Order the October 2023 Health Affairs Tackling Structural Racism In Health theme issue!

Related Links:

The Impact of Medicaid Unwinding on Children's Health

Health Affairs — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Marianne Amoss and Rob Lott explore the impact of Medicaid unwinding on children's health.

Read Milkie Vu's article from the upcoming "Tackling Structural Racism in Health" issue.

Related Link:

We cut child poverty to historic lows, then let it rebound faster than ever before (Vox)
Federal Health Policy Requires Child Health Investment Focus (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicaid (KFF)
Racism and Health Resource Page (Health Affairs)

Can the All-Payer Model Get AHEAD with New CMS Opp?

Health Affairs — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Rob Lott break down CMS's new funding opportunity for states to create an all-payer model.

Listen to the second Research and Justice For All episode, sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Link:

Three Outstanding Questions About CMS's Ambitious New AHEAD Model (Health Affairs Forefront)
Maryland Hospital All-Payer Model: Can It Be Emulated? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Maryland's All-Payer Model - Achievements, Challenges, and Next Steps (Health Affairs Forefront)
Hospital Rate Setting: Successful in Maryland but Challenging to Replicate (Healthcare Value Hub)

Audit of Nursing Home Staffing Standards in Progress by Biden Administration

Health Affairs — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Michael Gerber and Chris Fleming discuss the Biden administration's proposal to increase minimum staffing levels at nursing homes.

Listen to the first Research and Justice For All episode, sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Link:

HHS Proposes Minimum Staffing Standards to Enhance Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes (CMS)
High Nursing Staff Turnover In Nursing Homes Offers Important Quality Information (Health Affairs)
President Biden: Nursing homes are putting residents at risk. We're ending the abuse today. (USA Today)
Federal Officials Propose New Nursing Home Standards To Increase Staffing (New York Times)

CMS Enters the Octagon, Names 10 Drugs for Price Negotiation

Health Affairs — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Rob Lott and Chris Fleming discuss Biden administration's announcement regarding the first 10 drugs selected for Medicare price negotiation.

Listen to the Research and Justice For All trailer.

Related Link:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces First Ten Drugs Selected for Medicare Price Negotiation
A Deep Dive Into Takings Clause Challenges to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare Drug Price Negotiations: A Principles-Based Guide for CMS (Health Affairs Forefront)

A Shifting PBM Landscape?

Health Affairs — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Kathleen Haddad discuss the shifting pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) landscape in the wake of Blue Shield of California's decision to shift some of its pharmacy business to new companies.

Read the ahead-of-print article, "The Forgotten Middle: Worsening Health and Economic Trends Extend to Americans with Modest Resources Nearing Retirement."

Related Links:

Blue Shield of California Press Release

The Long and Winding Road of Regulating Laboratory Developed Tests w/ Catherine Sharkey

Health Affairs — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Marianne Amoss interviews Catherine Sharkey from NYU School of Law to discuss regulations and patient safety regarding laboratory developed tests (LDT).

View Health Affairs' current Request for Abstracts.

Related Links:

To Protect Patients And Spark Innovation, Codify The FDA’s Oversight Of Laboratory-Developed Tests (Health Affairs Forefront)
F.D.A. Warns Patients About Some Prenatal Genetic Tests (New York Times)
F.D.A. Wants to Regulate Prenatal Tests That Have Misled Parents (New York Times)
Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: The FDA's Dual Role as Safety and Health Information Regulator (DePaul Law Review)
Regulatory and Medical Aspects of DTC Genetic Testing (Consumer Genetic Technologies: Ethical and Legal Considerations)

FDA Comes Under Scrutiny

Health Affairs — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Michael Gerber and Rob Lott discuss the latest developments at the FDA, including the first oral treatment for postpartum depression, the Accelerated Approval Program, and the agency being namechecked on the GOP presidential campaign trail.

Related Links:

Create An Economic Incentive For The Timely Completion Of Confirmatory Trials (Health Affairs Forefront)
The Conundrum Of Patient Access To Therapeutic Medical Devices (Health Affairs Forefront)
FDA Approves First Oral Treatment for Postpartum Depression
Request For Abstracts - Reimagining Public Health
Request For Abstracts - Perinatal Mental Health

Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available — and we’d like to keep it that way. With your support, we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcasts free for everyone.

Biden Administration Continues Antitrust Crusade With New Merger Guidelines

Health Affairs — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Kathleen Haddad discuss the recently-released merger guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission and its potential impacts on the health care industry.

Read the CVS Health-sponsored series "Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity."

Related Links:

Biden Declares War on the Cult of Efficiency (The Atlantic)
Who Pays for Health Care Costs? The Effects of Health Care Prices on Wages (SSRN)
Access, Quality, and Financial Performance of Rural Hospitals Following Health System Affiliation (Health Affairs)

Health Equity - Summer 2023 Edition

Health Affairs — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Ryann Tanap and Vabren Watts discuss what policies and news developments have been shaping the health equity landscape this summer. They discuss the proliferation of LGBTQIA+ policies, affirmative action, Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Month and the one-year anniversary of 988, the suicide and crisis hotline.

Read the "You're A Health Policy Wonk If..." submissions.

Read the new Ahead-of-Print article, "Early OxyContin Marketing Linked To Long-Term Spread Of Infectious Diseases Associated With Injection Drug Use."

Read the CVS Health-sponsored series "Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity."

Related Links:

Diversity & Health Equity (American Psychiatric Association)
Black men make up less than 3% of physicians. That requires immediate action, say leaders in academic medicine. (AAMC)

White House Looks To Trash "Junk" Insurance Plans

Health Affairs — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott discuss President Joe Biden's proposed rules to reduce "junk insurance."

Read the "You're A Health Policy Wonk If..." submissions.

Read the Underemployment Health Policy Brief.

Related Links:

Administration Takes Action To Limit Junk Health Insurance (Health Affairs Forefront)
The Biden Administration Takes Aim At Medical Financing Products (Health Affairs Forefront)

The Far-Reaching Health Care Impacts of the Supreme Court's Affirmative Action Decision

Health Affairs — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Chris Fleming discuss the wide-reaching health care implications of the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action.

Join us July 10 for a virtual Lunch and Learn event on the Supreme Court

Related Links:

CMS's 10-Year Value-Based Primary Care Experiment

Health Affairs — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Marianne Amoss and Michael Gerber break down CMS's new primary care model, the Making Care Primary (MCP) Model.

Check out the first issue of Health Affairs Scholar.

Related Links:

The Changing Landscape of Primary Care: Effects of the ACA and Other Efforts Over the Past Decade (Health Affairs Forefront)
Making Care Primary Model Summary (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
CMS Launches New Pilot Program to Test Out Value-Based Primary Care in 8 States (FierceHealthcare)

Sara Rosenbaum Goes Deep in the Weeds of Medicaid

Health Affairs — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Chris Fleming interviews Sara Rosenbaum from George Washington University to dive into the Supreme Court decision on Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County v Talevksi.

Related Links:

LGBTQ+ Health Care Policies: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Backward?

Health Affairs — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad and Michael Gerber discuss the state of health policy related to the LBGTQ+ community in honor of Pride Month. They discuss state policies' impact on the community, the burgeoning data on gender, and more.

Related Links:

LGBTQ+ Health Is An Essential Component Of Public Health Equity Efforts (Health Affairs Forefront)
Health Insurance Coverage And Access To Care Among LGBT Adults, 2013–19 (Health Affairs)
Transgender Adults Have Higher Rates Of Disability Than Their Cisgender Counterparts (Health Affairs)
Anti-LGBTQ+ laws put U.S. in a state of emergency, Human Rights Campaign says (Los Angeles Times)
US judge blocks Florida ban on trans minor care in narrow ruling, says ‘gender identity is real’ (AP)

How Health Care Fared in the Debt Limit Deal

Health Affairs — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Chris Fleming and Rob Lott discuss how health care would fare under in current legislation negotiated by the White House and Congressional Republications. to suspend the debt limit. They discuss COVID-19 funding claw backs, SNAP work requirements, and more.

Related Links:

CBO’s Estimate of the Budgetary Effects of Medicaid Work Requirements Under H.R. 2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (CBO)
Medicaid Work Requirements Are Back On The Agenda (KFF)
Forcing States To Tie Medicaid To Work Is An Unconstitutional ‘Gun To The Head’ (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicaid Work Requirements: Who’s At Risk? (Health Affairs Forefront)

Resident Physicians Turn To Strikes and Unions

Health Affairs — Fri, 26 May 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Michael Gerber and Jessica Bylander discuss the end of the strike by resident physicians at Elmhurst Hospital in New York City and the recent trend of unionization among health care workers, including resident physicians, plus other efforts to secure health care worker rights across the country.

Submit to You're A Health Policy Wonk If... Contest (submissions will be taken through May 31, 2023).

Join us for a Policy Spotlight on June 1 with Carrie Colla from CBO.

Related Links:

Minnesota Lawmakers Take Step to Mandate Nursing Home Wages (Modern Healthcare)
'More Than Half of My Paycheck Goes To Rent': Young US Doctors Push To Unionize (The Guardian)
Resident Doctors End Strike at Elmhurst Hospital (The New York Times)
Nursing Home Workforce Standards (Minnesota)

Tom Insel on the Mental Health Crisis and Behavioral Health Care Reform

Health Affairs — Fri, 19 May 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad interviews Tom Insel, author of Healing: Our Path From Mental Illness to Mental Health, on the latest federal efforts to reform mental and behavioral health care in the United States. Insel previously led the Mental Health Team at Verily and served as Director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Submit to You're A Health Policy Wonk If... Contest (submissions will be taken through May 31, 2023).

Related Links:

Integrating Behavioral Health In Primary Care: Overcoming Decades of Challenges (Health Affairs Forefront)
A New Approach To Mental Health Care, Imported From Abroad (Health Affairs)
Tackling Unfinished Business and Taking on Current Challenges: Putting Biden's Mental Health Proposals in Context (Brookings)
Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CalHHS)
MindSite News

Lawrence Gostin on The End of COVID As We Know It

Health Affairs — Fri, 12 May 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Chris Fleming interviews Lawrence Gostin from Georgetown University on the end of the public health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chris and Lawrence discuss the loss of trust in public health, how the Affordable Care Act was the unsung hero of the pandemic, and our readiness for the next pandemic.

Submit to You're A Health Policy Wonk If... Contest (submissions will be taken through May 31, 2023).

Related Links:

Why The End of The Public Health Emergency Really Matters (Health Affairs Forefront)
Advancing Equity In The Pandemic Treaty (Health Affairs Forefront)

Kaiser, Geisinger and the Uncertain Future of Value-Based Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 05 May 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Michael Gerber discuss the newly-announced merger between Kaiser Permanente and Geisinger Health System. They discuss the evolution of value-based care, how mergers may impact patient outcomes and health spending, and how health economists are reacting to the news.

Submit to You're A Health Policy Wonk If... Contest (submissions will be taken through May 31, 2023).

Related Links:

New Mega-deal Highlights Geisinger's Fall, and Raises Concerns About Where Kaiser Is Going Next (Stat News)
Have Alternative Payment Models Led To Provider Consolidation? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Value-Based Payment As A Tool To Address Excess US Health Spending (Health Affairs)

Celebrating Health Equity

Health Affairs — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Ryann Tanap and Vabren Watts discuss the latest news and developments in the Health Equity Department at Health Affairs. They preview elevating voices during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and the first published article from the Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees. Plus, Vabe shares a scene report from the conferences he recently attended.

Sign up for our newsletters, podcasts, and social media to stay informed on our health equity efforts.

Related Links:

Antiracist Institutional Change in Healthcare (Harvard)
Health Policy Brief: US Residential Segregation (Health Affairs)

Sabrina Corlette on the Health of Health Reform

Health Affairs — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Chris Fleming and Rob Lott interview Sabrina Corlette from Georgetown University on the health of the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and the final rule for the HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2024, which has many initiatives related to health equity.

Join us April 24 for a special Insider-only Virtual Networking event!

Related Links:

Final 2024 Payment Rule, Part 1: Insurance Market Rules And Consumer Assistance (Health Affairs Forefront)
Final 2024 Payment Rule, Part 2: Risk Adjustment (Health Affairs Forefront)

Abortion Pill Mifepristone Has Its Day(s) In Court

Health Affairs — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the large amount of news and controversy over the abortion pill mifepristone as the drug's 2000 approval -- and subsequent changes to how patients can access it -- make their way through the courts.

NOTE: This episode was recorded in the afternoon of April 13, 2023, shortly before the Justice Department requested the Supreme Court to restore access to the mifepristone.

Related Links:

Melanie Bella on Medicaid Expansion and Beyond

Health Affairs — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 01:03:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Kathleen Haddad interview Melanie Bella, head of partnerships & policy at Cityblock Health and current chair of Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) on Medicaid expansion, dual eligibles and more.

Read the Health Affairs Forefront series Medicare and Medicaid Integration.

Related Links:

Governor Cooper Signs Medicaid Expansion Into Law
Integrating Medicare And Medicaid For Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries Through Managed Care: Proposed 2023 Medicare Advantage Regulations (Health Affairs Forefront)
When The Public Health Emergency Ends: What Will It Mean For Dually Eligible Individuals? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans: A Primer (Justice In Aging)
Preserving Integration For Dual Eligible Individuals After The End Of The Medicare-Medicaid Plan Model (Health Affairs Forefront)

The Controversy Around Pharmacy Benefit Managers

Health Affairs — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Marianne Amoss discuss the recent antitrust lawsuit against Express Scripts and Prime Therapeutics regarding pharmacy benefit managers and alleged collusion to share drug pricing information.

Join us for a Lunch and Learn Event on Health Care Workforces on April 4. This event is supported by the de Beaumont Foundation.

Related Links:

Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Their Role in Drug Spending (The Commonwealth Fund)
The Association Between Drug Rebates and List Prices (University of Southern California)
Ohio Attorney General David Yost Files Suit Against Express Scripts, Prime Therapeutics Over Rising Drug Costs (FierceHealthcare)
Podcast: Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the FTC & You (Health Affairs This Week)
Health Policy Brief: Pharmacy Benefit Managers (Health Affairs)

The Cost of Insulin

Health Affairs — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Chris Fleming dive into the complex world of insulin pricing and recent efforts to control its costs for the millions of Americans with diabetes.

Read the Ahead of Print article on Medicare Advantage benchmarks by Michael Chernew and colleagues.

Related Links:

Sanofi announces insulin price cap after actions by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk (NBC News)
Why is insulin so expensive and difficult to cap? (AP News)
California Picks Generic Drug Company Civica to Produce Low-Cost Insulin (Kaiser Health News)
Insulin as Preventive Care: Why Not Eliminate Patient Cost Sharing? (Health Affairs Forefront)

What the President's Budget Means for Health Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Michael Gerber read the health care policy tea leaves for the President's Budget for 2024, including Medicare funding, Medicaid expansion, prescription drug costs, public health preparedness, and more.

Related Links:

FACT SHEET: The President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (White House)

A Seat For All: Building Health Equity Into Scholarly Programs

Health Affairs — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Listen to Health Affairs' Vabren Watts and Ryann Tanap discuss a new peer-reviewed article published in Learned Publishing where Health Affairs shares our journey to advance racial equity in scholarly publishing of health policy and health services research.

They also discuss a recently-published Health Affairs Forefront article about our progress since 2020 — what we have achieved and what we have learned.

Our hope is that by sharing our story, we might help your organization join us in this journey.

Health Affairs’ equity work was supported by the Colorado Health Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Related Links:

A seat for all: Advancing racial equity in scholarly publishing of health policy and health services research (Learned Publishing)
Health Affairs Details Journey Of Advancing Equity In Scholarly Publishing (Health Affairs Forefront)

Health in US Prisons and Jails

Health Affairs — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Marianne Amoss and Chris Fleming discuss recent data on mortality in prisons and health care in carceral settings, especially in connection with COVID-19.

Join us February 28 for a Virtual Happy Hour!

Related Links:

Developing Nation Social Care Standards (Health Affairs Forefront)
UCLA Law Releases New Database to Monitor Deaths in US Prisons with Funding from Arnold Ventures
Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in COVID-19 Mortality Within Carceral Settings: An Analysis of Texas Prisons (Health Affairs)
Prison Hospital Data Is Omitted From Federal Data Sets (Health Affairs Forefront)
Podcast: Rachael Bedard Explains Health Care in Jails (A Health Podyssey)

Health Care Highlights From the 2023 State of the Union Address

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Leslie Erdelack unpack the health care highlights from President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address, including the opioid epidemic, drug prices, noncompete agreements, and social media and kids' mental health.

Join us February 28 for a Virtual Happy Hour!

Related Links:

Competition and Vulnerabilities In The Global Supply Chain For US Generic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (Health Affairs)
FACT SHEET: In State of the Union, President Biden to Outline Vision to Advance Progress on Unity Agenda in Year Ahead (White House)
The Administration's Next Crack at Lower Drug Prices (Axios)
Biden's Push to Ban Noncompete Agreements Could Have Big Implications for Health Care (NBC News)
Biden's Fentanyl Position Sparks Criticism From 2 Sides (Associated Press)

Road Mapping Health Care Spending and Value

Health Affairs — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Listen to Health Affairs' Laura Tollen, Chris Fleming and Michael Gerber discuss the new report from the Health Affairs' Council on Health Care Spending and Value. The council spent four years looking into how the US could take a more deliberate approach to moderating health care spending growth while maximizing value.

Learn more about Health Affairs Scholar.

Related Links:

Medicare Advantage Targeted By CMS For Overpayment

Health Affairs — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Kathleen Haddad explain the complexities of the CMS final rule on Medicare Advantage risk adjustment.

Read the CHS report's executive summary (available after 1pm ET on 2/3/23)

Related Links:

CMS Issues Final Rule to Protect Medicare, Strengthen Medicare Advantage, and Hold Insurers Accountable (CMS)
New Medicare Rule Aims to Take Back $4.7 Billion From Insurers (The New York Times)

The Problem With Provider Directories

Health Affairs — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the latest efforts to fix problems with directories of health care providers and the potential for a national provider directory.

Join Us for the Considering Health Spending event on February 3.

Related Links:

In The News: Child Vaccination Rates, Veterans Care and...Gas Stoves?

Health Affairs — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 01:00:00 -0500

Listen to Ellen Bayer and Marianne Amoss discuss some of the latest headlines in health care, including child immunization rates, suicide care for veterans, and public health concerns surrounding gas stoves.

Related Links:

Leqembi & Health Equity

Health Affairs — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 01:01:00 -0500

Listen to Health Affairs Ryann Tanap and Vabren Watts in the first of many "Health Equity Corner" episodes on This Week discuss the latest from the health equity department and unpack what Leqembi, the newly approved Alzheimer's disease drug, could mean in the health equity space.

Related Links:

No Health Care News Shortage in 2023

Health Affairs — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 01:00:00 -0500

We're back! New year, more podcasts.

In the first episode of 2023, Kathleen Haddad and Chris Fleming discuss, the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill, the coming end of Medicaid eligibility for millions, a new COVID variant, and more. With no shortage of news in the health care space, we're excited for a new year of Health Affairs This Week.

Related Links:

Home-Based Care Reimagined: A Full Fledged Health Care Delivery Ecosystem Without Walls (Health Affairs)
Medicaid Unwinding Will Begin in April but There's Good News in Congressional Funding Agreement (Georgetown University Health Policy Institute)
10 Things to Know About the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Requirement (KFF)
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023 Explanatory Statement
Health Affairs Pathways

2022 Health Policy Year in Review

Health Affairs — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 01:00:00 -0500

On the 100th episode of Health Affairs This Week, Ellen Bayer and Kathleen Haddad go over major policy developments in health care this year, including COVID-19, abortion, gun violence, drug prices, and more.

Related Links:

What Are The Prescription Drug Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act? (Kaiser Family Foundation)
House Passes The Equality Act: Here's What It Would Do (NPR)
Five Things To Know About the Renewal of Extra Affordable Care Act Subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act (Kaiser Family Foundation)
FDA Provides Update on External Evaluation to Strengthen Agency's Human Foods Program
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: What Does the Law Do and How Might It be Impacted by Bruen? (Duke Center for Firearms Law)

Will Naloxone Become An Over-The-Counter Drug?

Health Affairs — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 01:00:00 -0500

Listen to Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the FDA's look into the potential for over-the-counter naloxone products to help reduce opioid overdose deaths.

Related Links:

FDA Fast-tracks Review of Over-the-Counter Opioid Drug (Axios)
FDA Announces Preliminary Assessment that Certain Naloxone Products Have the Potential to be Safe and Effective for Over-the-Counter Use (FDA)
Plan N: The Case For Over-The-Counter Naloxone (Health Affairs Forefront)

Tackling Bias in Health Care Algorithms

Health Affairs — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 01:00:00 -0500

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is investigating hospitals' software algorithms to help identify potential racial biases in the systems. Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Rob Lott discuss the background and research behind racial biases in health care algorithms.

View the Anniversary Timeline celebrating 40+ years of advancing health policy.

Related Links:

Dissecting Racial Bias in an Algorithm Used to Manage the Health of Populations (Science)
Hidden In Plain Sight - Reconsidering The Use of Race Correction in Clinical Algorithms (NEJM)
Podcast: Michael Sun on Racial Biases Hiding in EHRs (A Health Podyssey)
The Potential For Bias in Machine Learning and Opportunities for Health Insurers to Address It (Health Affairs)
Algorithmic Bias in Health Care: A Path Forward (Health Affairs Forefront)
Leveraging Affordable Care Act Section 1557 to Address Racism in Clinical Algorithms (Health Affairs Forefront)

Midterm Health Care Ballot Initiative Review

Health Affairs — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 01:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Kathleen Haddad break down the under-discussed state ballot initiatives that focused on health care in the 2022 mid-term elections.

Related Links:

What The 2022 Midterm Results Might Mean for Health Care (Health Affairs Forefront)
What Recent State Elections Mean for Health Care (Health Affairs Forefront)
A Proposed Policy Agenda for Electronic Cigarettes in the US: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion (Health Affairs)
The FDA Stands By as the Vaping Industry Flout Its Orders (Stat News)

It's Open Enrollment Season

Health Affairs — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs Kathleen Haddad and Vabren Watts discuss open enrollment season and Medicare provisions in the CMS Final Rule.

Related Links:

Previewing The 2023 Open Enrollment Period (Health Affairs Forefront)
HHS Finalizes Physician Payment Rule Strengthening Access to Behavioral Health Services and Whole-Person Care (CMS)
Shopping for ACA Health Insurance? Here's What's New This Year (Kaiser Health News)
An Overhaul for Medicare's Pay Transformation Program (Axios)

FDA's Controversial Pregnancy Drug Decision, Explained

Health Affairs — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the FDA's efforts to pull the pregnancy drug Makena from the market and the implications for drug policy.

Join us in D.C. for an in-person happy hour event on November 17

Related Links:

FDA Panel Recommends Pulling Preterm Birth Drug From the Market (New York Times)
Accelerated Approval of Cancer Drugs: No Economic Reward For Drug Makers That Conduct Confirmatory Trials (Health Affairs)
Delays in Confirmatory Trials for Drug Applications Granted FDA's Accelerated Approval Raise Concerns (Office of Inspector General)
Podcast: Prescription Drug Policy, Drug Pricing & Aduhelm With Rachel Sachs (Health Affairs This Week)

Join us in D.C. for an in-person happy hour event on November 17

A Health Podyssey: Tara Lagu on Physicians’ Attitudes on People With Disabilities

Health Affairs — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs This Week is on a break this week. Today, we are publishing an episode from A Health Podyssey, where Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil brings you in-depth conversations with leading researchers and influencers shaping the big ideas in health policy and the health care industry. Health Affairs This Week will return next week.

Subscribe to A Health Podyssey: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts

Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Northwestern University's Tara Lagu on the paper she published in the October 2022 issue of Health Affairs examining physicians attitudes toward patients with disabilities.

Order the October 2022 issue of Health Affairs on disability and health.

Health Affairs thanks the Ford Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for their financial support of this issue.

Disability and Health Spotlight: Art Enables

Health Affairs — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Ryann Tanap and Vabren Watts interview Tony Brunswick, executive director of Art Enables, about his organization and its work and impact on artists with disabilities.

Health Affairs thanks the Ford Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for their financial support of this issue.

Related Links:

Disability and Health Theme Issue
Creating Income Opportunities for Artists with Disabilities (Health Affairs Forefront)
Health Affairs Sunday Update Sign-Up
Art Studio Helps Adults With Disabilities Turn Their Passion Into a Career (NPR)
Disability & Health in 10 Exhibits: Themes from Health Affairs' October 2022 Issue (Health Affairs Forefront)

Order the October 2022 issue of Health Affairs on disability and health.

Behind the Pages: Disability and Health Issue

Health Affairs — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Ellen Bayer give a peek behind the curtain on Health Affairs' new Disability and Health theme issue.

Health Affairs thanks the Ford Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for their financial support of this issue.

Related Links:

Disability and Health Theme Issue
Tara Lagu on Physicians’ Attitudes on People With Disabilities (A Health Podyssey)
Patient And Coworker Mistreatment Of Physicians With Disabilities (Health Affairs)
Upcoming Health Affairs Events

Order the October 2022 issue of Health Affairs on disability and health.

Health Policy Litigation: A Quick Tour on Current Events

Health Affairs — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad and Chris Fleming conduct a whistle-stop tour of the current health policy litigations flowing through the courts.

Related Links:

Providers Sue (Again) Over No Surprises (Health Affairs Forefront)
Lawsuit Challenges Federal Copay Accumulator Policy (Health Affairs Forefront)
Court Holds That Key ACA Preventive Services Requirements Are Unconstitutional (Health Affairs Forefront)
Will The US Supreme Court Strike Down The ACA's Preventive Services Coverage Requirement? (Health Affairs Forefront)

Improving Health Outcomes for Dual Eligibles

Health Affairs — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Marianne Amoss and Rob Lott talk about Health Affairs' Forefront series on Medicare and Medicaid Integration and some of their favorite articles about the dual eligible population.

The series is produced with the support of Arnold Ventures. Included articles are reviewed and edited by Health Affairs Forefront staff; the opinions expressed are those of the authors. The series will run through October 31, 2022; submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.

Related Links:

Medicare and Medicaid Integration Landing Page
To Advance Health Equity For Dual-Eligibles Beneficiaries, We Need Culturally Appropriate Services (Health Affairs Forefront)
Congress Considers Strategies To Improve Medicare and Medicaid Integration For Dual-Eligible Individuals (Health Affairs Forefront)
Integrating Care In Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans: A Bigger Toolbox For States (Health Affairs Forefront)
Podcast: Eric Roberts on Dual Eligibles Coverage (A Health Podyssey)

Walmart and Retailers Continue To Make Moves in Health Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Vabren Watts discuss a new partnership between Walmart and UnitedHealth Group - which will include efforts across retail health centers, Medicare Advantage plans, and social determinants of health - as well as other health care moves from big retailers like Amazon and CVS.

Related Links:

State of the Health Care Workforce

Health Affairs — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Rob Lott review the state of the health care workforce in this Labor Day themed episode of Health Affairs This Week.

Related Links:

Primary Care Beyond COVID-19 (Health Affairs Forefront)
New Behavioral Health Workforce Database Paints A Stark Picture (Health Affairs Forefront)
Addressing Health Worker Burnout (U.S. Surgeon General)
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Hospital and Outpatient Clinician Workforce (HHS)

Moderna Fires Shots in mRNA Wars

Health Affairs — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Chris Fleming discuss the Moderna lawsuit against Pfizer regarding its mRNA technology in relation to the COVID-19 vaccine and its potential impact on the future of biopharmaceutical markets.

Related Links:

Covid Vaccine ‘Windfall Profits’ Under Attack by Patent Holders (Bloomberg Law)

CDC Looks To Reshape Itself

Health Affairs — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad and Jessica Bylander discuss the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's steps to revamp the agency, citing mistakes the agency made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related Links:

Walensky, Citing Botched Pandemic Response, Calls for CDC Reorganization (New York Times)
A Vision For Supporting and Reforming The CDC (Health Affairs Forefront)
Fix The CDC But Don't Ignore The Rest of Our Public Health System (Health Affairs Forefront)
Statement by Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. (National Institutes of Health)
Can the CDC Save Itself? (New York Times Opinion)

Why the Inflation Reduction Act is a Big Deal for Health Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott dive into the health care and climate change provisions in the newly signed Inflation Reduction Act.

Related Links:

Understanding The Democrats’ Drug Pricing Package (Health Affairs Forefront)
Congress Poised To Extend Enhanced Marketplace Subsidies Through 2025 (Health Affairs Forefront)
FACT SHEET: Inflation Reduction Act Advances Environmental Justice (White House)

Monkeypox Updates w/ Syra Madad & Andrew Wallach from NYC Health+ Hospitals

Health Affairs — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Health Affairs' Vabren Watts discusses the latest on monkeypox with Syra Madad and Andrew Wallach, both from NYC Health + Hospitals.

New HEDIS Measures Emphasize Health Equity w/ Eric Schneider

Health Affairs — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 01:00:00 -0400

This week, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) updated measures in the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). This year, the organization included measures related to health equity for data and quality measurement.

NCQA Executive Vice President Eric Schneider joins Health Affairs' Rob Lott on today's episode of Health Affairs This Week to discuss the measurement changes.

Related Links:

HEDIS MY 2023: See What's New, What's Changed and What's Retired (NCQA)
A New Effort To Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities In Care Through Quality Measurement (Health Affairs Forefront)

ACA Anti-Discrimination Rule w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Katie Keith, Jessica Bylander, and Leslie Erdelack unpack the latest proposed rule from HHS implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.

Section 1557 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability in certain health programs and activities. The proposed rule would reinstate civil rights protections for patients and consumers after the 2020 version of the rule limited the scope of these protections.

Related Links:

HHS Proposes Revised ACA Anti-Discrimination Rule (Health Affairs Forefront)
Proposed Rule Press Release
Fact Sheet
Supreme Court Finds LGBT People Are Protected From Employment Discrimination: Implications For The ACA (Health Affairs Forefront)

The 988 Lifeline, Mental Health, and More

Health Affairs — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad and Ellen Bayer discuss the new hotline and mental health initiatives in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

If interested in the Amazon-One Medical news from the week, listen to the limited podcast series Piecemeal produced for Health Affairs by Lalita Abhyankar.

Related Links:

US Transition to 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Begins Saturday (HHS)
Transforming Mental Health and Addiction Services (Health Affairs)
Strengthening Behavioral Healthcare To Meet The Needs Of Our Nation (Health Affairs Forefront)
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
Podcast: The Mental Health Crisis (Health Affairs Pathways)

Federal & State Health Policy Actions After Roe v. Wade Overturn

Health Affairs — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Rob Lott and Vabren Watts discuss the federal and state aftermath following the Supreme Court overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available — and we’d like to keep it that way. With your support, we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcasts free for everyone.

Related Links:

Women's Live and Health: Mere Abstractions In The Leaked Dobbs Abortion Opinion (Health Affairs Forefront)
As Mississippi Debates Abortion, Maternal Mortality Remains High (Jackson Free Press)
HHS Secretary Letter to Health Care Providers About Emergency Medical Care
FACT Sheet: President Biden To Sign Executive Order Protection Access to Reproductive Health Care Services (White House)
Biden Admin to Pharmacies: Refusing to Fill Contraception and Abortion Pill Prescriptions Could Break Federal Law (Politico)

CMS Rule Recap: Rural Emergency Hospitals and Price Transparency

Health Affairs — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Kathleen Haddad discuss the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services latest measures regarding rural emergency hospitals and price transparency for hospitals and payers.

Related Links:

CMS's Proposed Rule for Conditions of Participation for Rural Emergency Hospitals and Critical Access Hospital Updates
Podcast: Hospitals At Large Are Failing At Price Transparency (Health Affairs This Week)
Now Insurers and Employers Have To Reveal Health Care Prices (The Washington Post)
Offering A Price Transparency Tool Did Not reduce Overall Spending Among California Public Employees And Retirees (Health Affairs)
Price Transparency - Promise and Peril (JAMA)

Budget Neutral Medicaid Demonstrations w/ Cindy Mann

Health Affairs — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Chris Fleming interview Manatt Health's Cindy Mann on budget neutrality requirements for Medicaid 1115 demonstrations.

This episode was recorded on June 23, 2022.

Related Links:

Rethinking The Budget Neutrality Requirement for Medicaid 1115 Demonstrations (Health Affairs Forefront)

LGBTQ+ & Public Health

Health Affairs — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 01:00:00 -0400

As part of Pride Month, listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Kathleen Haddad discuss the White House's executive order on LGBTQI+ equality and its impact on health care.

Related Links:

Privately Insured Transgender People Are At Elevated Risk For Chronic Conditions Compared With Cisgender Counterparts (Health Affairs)
Podcast: A Health Podyssey with Landon Hughes
Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Adults Report Continued Problems Affording Care Despite Coverage Gains (Health Affairs)
The Battle Over Gender Therapy (The New York Times Magazine)
2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health (The Trevor Project)

Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the FTC & You

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission launched a formal inquiry into pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Vabren Watts discuss the FTC's probe into PBMs and how vertical integration and consolidation may affect patients and health care consumers.

Related Links:

FTC Launches Investigation Into Major Pharmacy Benefit Managers' Business Practices (FierceHealthcare)
A Six-Step Solution To The PBM Problem (Health Affairs Forefront)
On Drug Prices, Pharmacy Benefit Managers Are Not The Problem (Health Affairs Forefront)
PBM Oversight, Insulin Cost-Sharing Provisions Among Build Back Better Act (Health Affairs Forefront)

Headlines: Monkeypox, Medicare Trustees Report & Nursing Home Workforce Shortages

Health Affairs — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Ellen Bayer go over the big health policy headlines from this week, including what we know about Monkeypox, the implications of the latest Medicare Trustees Report, and nursing home workforce shortages.

Related Links:

2022 Medicare Trustees Report (CMS)
Medicare's Supplementary Medical Insurance Fund: A Growing Burden on Taxpayers (Health Affairs Forefront)
The Coming Crisis For The Medicare Trust Fund (Health Affairs Forefront)
Fact Sheet: Protecting Seniors by Improving Safety and Quality of Care in the Nation's Nursing Homes (White House)
The Waltz: To Improve Nursing Home Care, Invest In The Workforce (Health Affairs Forefront)

FDA Under the Microscope on User Fees and Baby Formula Shortage

Health Affairs — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Rob Lott and Chris Fleming put the FDA under the microscope on user fees and baby formula shortages.

Related Links:

FDA User Fee Reauthorization Bill Emerges In Both Chambers (Health Affairs Forefront)
Fact Sheet: President Biden Announces New Actions to Address Infant Formula Shortage (White House)
Biden Invokes the Defense Production Act for the Baby Formula Shortage (NPR)

Health Policy and Gun Violence

Health Affairs — Fri, 27 May 2022 01:00:00 -0400

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses the subject of gun violence and death.

Health Affairs's Jessica Bylander and Vabren Watts discuss this week's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas and the recent history of gun policy in the United States.

Violence permeates our society. One response to violence is to better understand its origins and how to prevent it.

We invite you to read the Violence and Health issue of Health Affairs from 2019 to better understand the impacts that gun violence has on communities. The issue will be open access and free to read until June 1, 2022.

For Mental Health Awareness month, we'd like to share the reminder that if you are experiencing a mental health emergency, you can call the national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP for support.

Related Links:

Violence and Health (Health Affairs)
Adolescent Exposure To Deadly Gun Violence Within 500 Meters Of Home Or School: Ethnoracial And Income Disparities (Health Affairs)
From Sandy Hook to Buffalo and Uvalde: Ten years of failure on gun control (The Washington Post)
Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States (New England Journal of Medicine)

Tim Jost Previews Supreme Court Impacts On Medicaid Beneficiaries

Health Affairs — Fri, 20 May 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Chris Fleming and Tim Jost discuss Supreme Court cases that could strip enrollees in Medicaid and other programs of the right to sue to enforce their rights.

Related Links:

Is The Supreme Court Poised To Wipe Out Legal Rights For Medicaid Beneficiaries? (Health Affairs Forefront)

FDA's Proposed Ban on Menthol Cigarettes, Explained

Health Affairs — Fri, 13 May 2022 01:00:00 -0400

“In addition to this being a public health issue, these questions around health equity appear to have motivated FDA’s decision to move on developing these new product standards.” – Leslie Erdelack

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Ellen Bayer unpack the FDA's proposed ban on menthol cigarettes and its public health implications including concerns for health equity.

Related Links:

FDA Proposes Action On Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars (Health Affairs Forefront)
FDA Proposes Rules Prohibiting Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars to Prevent Youth Initiation, Significantly Reduce Tobacco-Related Disease and Death (FDA)
Opinion: How the Tobacco Industry Hooked Black Smokers on Menthols (New York Times)

Unpacking the Supreme Court Abortion Draft Decision

Health Affairs — Fri, 06 May 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Early this week, Politico published a draft opinion from the Supreme Court that would overturn abortion rights in the United States.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Health Affairs' Senior Editors Jessica Bylander and Chris Fleming unpack the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade and could have sweeping health care implications beyond just abortion care.

Related Links:

Supreme Court Has Voted To Overturn Abortion Rights, Draft Opinion Shows (Politico)
Penalizing Abortion Providers Will Have Ripple Effects Across Pregnancy Care (Health Affairs Forefront)
26 States Are Certain or Likely to Ban Abortion Without Roe: Here's Which Ones and Why (Guttmacher Institute)
Can Congress Resurrect Roe If It's Overturned? Well, It Could Try (The Washington Post)

Headlines: Childhood Vaccinations, Title 42, and National Drug Control Strategy

Health Affairs — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott go over the big health policy headlines from this week, including details on childhood vaccinations, Title 42 and the intersection of public health and border policies, and federal drug control strategies.

Related Links:

Borders, Immigrants & Health Theme Issue (Health Affairs)
Health Care Gaps For Migrants & Asylum Seekers On The Mexico Border During COVID-19 (A Health Podyssey)
Vaccination Coverage with Selected Vaccines and Exemption Rates Among Children in Kindergarten - United States, 2020-21 School Year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Fact Sheet: 2022 National Drug Control Strategy That Outlines Comprehensive Path Forward To Address Addiction and the Overdose Epidemic (White House)
Key Facts About Title 42, The Pandemic Policy That Has Reshaped Immigration Enforcement At US-Mexico Border (Pew Research Center)

A Health Podyssey: Stacie Dusetzina Shares Why Medicare Beneficiaries May Not Fill Specialty Drug Prescriptions

Health Affairs — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Subscribe to A Health Podyssey: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts

The United States is facing a drug affordability crisis.

Even as we celebrate scientific discovery, the health benefits of drugs are limited due to barriers of affordability, often even for people with health insurance. The RAND Corporation reports that on average drug prices in the United States are more than two and a half times those in 32 other nations studied. The disparities are even wider when we focus just on brand name drugs.

Drug pricing is the subject of seemingly perennial debates. One side focuses on access barriers due to high prices while the other side argues that lower prices threaten future innovation.

Stacie Dusetzina from Vanderbilt University Medical Center joins A Health Podyssey to talk about the complex world of drug pricing.

She and colleagues published a paper in the April 2022 issue of Health Affairs examining the degree to which people with Medicare prescription drug benefits use the drugs that are prescribed to them.

In the paper, the authors found non-initiation rates among some beneficiaries of greater than 50 percent for certain treatments.

If you enjoy this interview, order the April 2022 Health Affairs issue to get research on access to care, hospitals and more.

Advancing Health Equity in Health Policy & Publishing

Health Affairs — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Listen to Health Affairs' Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad and Health Equity Director Vabren Watts discuss advancing health equity in health policy and publishing.

“Once you start advancing one aspect of equity, you start advancing other aspects of equity,” says Watts.

The two highlight Health Affairs' work on health equity since launching a formal plan in January 2021 and research highlights from our digital publication Health Affairs Forefront as well as our February 2022 theme issue on Racism And Health.

Related Links:

COVID-19 Data On Trans And Gender-Expansive People, Stat! (Health Affairs Forefront)
Structural Racism And Black Women's Employment In The US Health Care Sector (Health Affairs)
Walmart Opening 5 Health 'Superstores' In Delayed Florida Launch (Healthcare Dive)
Health Equity (Health Affairs)
Racism and Health Theme Issue (Health Affairs)

Biden Wants to Fix The ACA's Family Glitch. What Is That? w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 01:00:00 -0400

President Joe Biden's administration this week published a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the "family glitch" in the Affordable Care Act. In essence, the rule would revise the eligibility for premium tax credits for families.

It's a wonky but important policy measure. In today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Georgetown University's Katie Keith break down the proposed rule, what the "family glitch" is, how the Biden administration seeks to amend it, and what impact that may have on families including access to affordable care.

Related Links:

New Biden Executive Order Aims To Build On Coverage Gains (Health Affairs Forefront)
Biden Administration Proposes To Fix The Family Glitch (Health Affairs Forefront)
President Biden Moves To Fix a 'Glitch' in the Affordable Care Act (TIME)
Health Policy Brief on The Family Glitch (Health Affairs)

The Latest Trajectory of National Health Spending

Health Affairs — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 01:00:00 -0400

A new ahead-of-print from Health Affairs features the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) annual projections of national health expenditures. John Poisal and colleagues estimate national health spending growth will moderate from 9.7 percent in 2020 to 4.2 percent in 2021 as COVID-19 impacts wane.

Listen to Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Chris Fleming dissect the latest national health spending projections on today's Health Affairs This Week.

Pre-order the April 2022 issue where the CMS report will be published in the Health Affairs journal.

Related Links:

National Health Expenditure Projections, 2021–30: Growth To Moderate As COVID-19 Impacts Wane (Health Affairs)
National Health Expenditures Post COVID: Hints Of A New Normal? (Health Affairs Forefront)
National Health Expenditure Projections And A Few Ways We Might Avoid Our Fate (Health Affairs Forefront)
National Health Care Spending In 2020: Growth Driven By Federal Spending In Response To The COVID-19 Pandemic (Health Affairs)

Medical Debt Changes & Health Impacts

Health Affairs — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 01:00:00 -0400

This month, three US credit reporting agencies - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion - announced changes to medical collection debt reporting, which will remove nearly 70% of medical collection debt tradelines from consumer credit reports.

As financial security is a major social determinant of health, Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Chris Fleming join Health Affairs This Week to discuss medical debt changes and their potential impact of the changes on health.

Related Links:

No Surprises Act: Known Impacts on Surprise Medical Bills & What's Next (Health Affairs This Week)
Medical Debt Burden In The United States (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
Charity Care Needs To Be Better Than This (Health Affairs)
The Burden of Medical Debt in the United States (Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker)

The Role of Private Equity In Health Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Late last month, the White House called out private equity firms in a fact sheet on the safety and quality of nursing homes.

"Private equity firms have been buying up struggling nursing homes, and research shows that private equity-owned nursing homes tend to have significantly worse outcomes for residents," the fact sheet reads, adding that "Private equity firms’ investment in nursing homes has ballooned from $5 billion in 2000 to more than $100 billion in 2018, with about 5% of all nursing homes now owned by private equity firms."

Listen to Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad and Rob Lott discuss the role of private equity in health care service lines.

Related Links:

FACT SHEET: Protecting Seniors by Improving Safety and Quality of Care in the Nation’s Nursing Homes (White House)
Private Equity Investments In Health Care: An Overview Of Hospital And Health System Leveraged Buyouts, 2003–17 (Health Affairs)
Hospital Service Offerings Still Differ Substantially By Ownership Type (Health Affairs)
Private Equity Acquisition And Responsiveness To Service-Line Profitability At Short-Term Acute Care Hospitals (Health Affairs)
Podcast: Jill Horwitz Questions the Role of Nonprofit Hospitals (A Health Podyssey)

Mike Chernew On Payment Reform: From Direct Contracting To ACO REACH

Health Affairs — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 01:00:00 -0500

Late last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its redesign of its Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model to its now-branded Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) Model. The agency stated the redesign is meant to advance health equity and was in response to stakeholder feedback and participant experience.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Harvard Medical School's Michael Chernew joins Health Affairs Forefront Editor Chris Fleming to talk about the new CMS model for ACOs, and where Medicare Advantage could improve.

Related Links:

Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) Model (CMS)
The Case For ACOs: Why Payment Reform Remains Necessary (Health Affairs Forefront)
Podcast: Michael Chernew Makes The Case for Payment Reform (Health Affairs This Week)
Medicare Advantage, Direct Contracting, And The Medicare 'Money Machine,' Part 2: Building On The ACO Model (Health Affairs Forefront)

Decoding the State of the Union for Health Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 01:00:00 -0500

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott outline President Joe Biden's health care aspirations outlined in his State of the Union Address, which includes information on COVID-19, health care costs, nursing homes, opioid epidemic, the cancer moonshot, and mental health.

Related Links:

President Biden's State of the Union Address (White House)
Fact Sheet: President Biden to Announce Strategy To Address Our National Mental Health Crisis, As Part of Unity Agenda in his First State of the Union (White House)
Fact Sheet: Addressing Addiction and the Overdose Epidemic (White House)
Fact Sheet: Protecting Seniors and People with Disabilities by Improving Safety and Quality of Care in the Nation's Nursing Homes (White House)
The Speech That Mentioned It All (Politico Pulse)

Navigating The COVID-19 Off-Ramp for Telehealth and Medicaid Policies

Health Affairs — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 01:00:00 -0500

Listen to Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Rob Lott discuss possible implications for health policies related to Medicaid and telehealth when the COVID-19 public health emergency sunsets.

Related Links:

Is It Fair? How To Approach Professional Scope-Of-Practice Policy After The COVID-19 Pandemic (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare Beneficiaries' Use of Telehealth in 2020: Trends By Beneficiary Characteristics and Location (ASPE)
Opinion: In This Next Phase of the Pandemic, Beware of the Extremes (The Washington Post)
2/15/22: Extending the Public Health Emergency Remains Complicated (Politico Pulse)

Galileo's Thomas Lee on Telehealth, Equity & Access To Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 01:00:00 -0500

Last week, the Kaiser Family Foundation released a report showing that outpatient telehealth use has decreased after an initial spike in use during the COVID-19 pandemic's early months.

This week, a new Stat News report examines whether telehealth services actually lowers health care costs and spending.

It's known that telehealth use was low before the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, it has been challenging to scale and integrate telemedicine and virtual care models within the broader health care system.

Dr. Thomas Lee, founder and CEO of Galileo Health, joins Health Affairs This Week host Leslie Erdelack to discuss the state of telehealth, access to care, and health equity. Before starting Galileo, Dr. Lee founded One Medical, a primary care company.

Related Links:

Outpatient telehealth use soared early in the COVID-19 pandemic but has since receded (Kaiser Family Foundation)
What we know - and still don't know - about whether telehealth can cut costs (Stat News)
Variation In Telemedicine Use and Outpatient Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States (Health Affairs)
Seizing The Moment For Telehealth Policy and Equity (Health Affairs Forefront)

Behind The Pages: Racism and Health Issue

Health Affairs — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 01:00:00 -0500

“Racism is an uncomfortable subject for a lot of people in academia and academic publishing itself is part of the problem, in that a lot of journals including Health Affairs have neglected to name racism and publish research about how racism harms health.” - Leslie Erdelack.

In February, Health Affairs published a theme issue dedicated to racism and health.

Understanding and addressing the impact of racism, particularly structural racism, on health is essential to building equity in health. As Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil wrote on Health Affairs Forefront in June 2020, the legacy of racism “is baked into our institutions, our thinking, and our policies.”

Racism must be explored as a key driver of health outcomes and health disparities.

In today's episode, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Leslie Erdelack discuss the publication process, main findings, and research insights from the Health Affairs February 2022 theme issue on racism and health.

Health Affairs thanks Rachel Hardeman of the University of Minnesota and José Figueroa of Harvard University, who served as theme issue advisers. Health Affairs also thanks the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, the Episcopal Health Foundation, the New York State Health Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for their generous support of this issue.

Order the February 2022 Health Affairs Racism and Health theme issue.

Related Links:

California's Fight for Single-Payer Health Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 01:00:00 -0500

This week, a major development in health care reform occurred in California.

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott talk about the headlines in health policy news (including President Joe Biden's revived Cancer Moonshot initiative) and the latest in California's fight for single-payer health insurance where they ask, as California goes, so goes the country?

Related Links:

Single-Payer Healthcare Proposal Fizzles in California Assembly (Los Angeles Times)
California Theme Issue - September 2018 (Health Affairs)
What We Talk About When We Talk About Single Payer (Health Affairs Forefront)
Could States Do Single-Payer Health Care? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Single Payer Or Not: Matching Problems With Solutions (Health Affairs Forefront)

Michael Chernew Makes The Case for Payment Reform

Health Affairs — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 01:00:00 -0500

This week on Health Affairs Forefront (formerly known as the Health Affairs Blog), Michael Chernew, director of the Healthcare Markets and Regulation Lab in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, and Michael McWilliams, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, wrote a piece making the case for accountable care organizations (ACOs) and how fee-for-service payment models lack efficiency.

Today on Health Affairs This Week, Michael Chernew joins Health Affairs Forefront Editor Chris Fleming to discuss the Forefront piece, ACOs, direct contracting, why health care payment reform remains necessary in 2022, and more.

Related Links:

The Case For ACOs: Why Payment Reform Remains Necessary (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare Advantage, Director Contracting, And The Medicare 'Money Machine," Part 1: The Risk-Score Game (Health Affairs Forefront)
Coding-Driven Changes In Measured Risk In Accountable Care Organizations (Health Affairs)
Podcast: Matthew Trombley on Why Many Providers Run From Downside Risk In ACOs (A Health Podyssey)

Focusing On Mental Health In COVID-19 Pandemic Year Three

Health Affairs — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 01:00:00 -0500

DICLAIMER: This episode contains mentions of suicide, which some listeners may find harmful or disturbing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shined a light on the importance addressing mental health and behavioral health concerns.

As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic - which may or may not become endemic - many Americans, including health care providers, are rethinking their relationship to their mental health.

Listen to Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Kathleen Haddad talk about mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, physician burnout, clinician burnout, and more.

Related Links:

Coping With Trauma, Celebrating Life: Reinventing Patient And Staff Support During The COVID-19 Pandemic (Health Affairs)
The Kids Are Not All Right: The Urgent Need To Expand Effective Behavioral Health Services For Children And Youth (Health Affairs Forefront)
Transforming Mental Health And Addiction Services (Health Affairs)
Protecting Mental Health (Project Hope)

Health Care Staffing Woes Persist as Omicron Surges

Health Affairs — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 01:00:00 -0500

With the Omicron coronavirus rapidly spreading through the United States, many are reassessing their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, the CDC revised its guidelines for quarantine and isolation periods (which was met with mixed reactions).

Workers, organizations, and schools are all trying to navigate this period of uncertainty as infections rise.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Rob Lott discuss the latest on COVID-19 quarantine periods, CDC guidance on the subject, and how those recommendations and the ongoing pandemic is affecting the health care workforce.

Related Links:

Nurse Employment During The First Fifteen Months Of The COVID-19 Pandemic (Health Affairs)
Emerging Health Workforce Strategies To Address COVID-19 (Health Affairs Forefront)
CDC Updates and Shortens Recommended Isolation and Quarantine Period for General Population (CDC)
California Department of Public Health Regarding Quarantine and Isolation Periods (CDPH)

Prescription Drug Policy, Drug Pricing & Aduhelm With Rachel Sachs

Health Affairs — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 01:00:00 -0500

While COVID-19 shallowed many headlines in the health care space, a lot of movement was made in various health policy areas, including prescription drug pricing.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Rachel Sachs, the Treiman Professor of Law at the Washington University in St. Louis, joins the program with Health Affairs Forefront Editor Chris Fleming to discuss Aduhelm and drug pricing.

The two discuss Rachel's latest Health Affairs Forefront article (formerly known as Health Affairs Blog) and review what happened in the prescription drug space last year and preview what to watch in 2022.

Related Links:

Prescription Drug Policy: The Year In Review, And The Year Ahead (Health Affairs Forefront)
The FDA's Approval Of Aduhelm: Potential Implications Across A Wide Range Of Health Policy Issues And Stakeholders (Health Affairs Forefront)
Podcast: Drug Pricing On The Agenda For Massive Infrastructure Bill (Health Affairs This Week)

New National Health Spending Data and Introducing Health Affairs Forefront

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 09:07:51 -0500

This week, Health Affairs released the annual national health care spending data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Using data from 2020, the first data which relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, the report found health spending reached a record high in 2020.

But Health Affairs had some of its own news this week as well. We are rebranding our respected Health Affairs Blog into a new digital publication named Health Affairs Forefront.

Health Affairs' Rob Lott and Chris Fleming convene on Health Affairs This Week to discuss CMS' new national health care spending data and what's behind the rebrand to Health Affairs Forefront.

Related Links:

National Health Care Spending In 2020: Growth Driven By Federal Spending In Response To The COVID-19 Pandemic (Health Affairs)
Welcome to Health Affairs Forefront (Health Affairs Forefront)
Innovation At The Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services: A Vision For The Next 10 Years (Health Affairs Forefront)
The Workforce for Non-Police Behavioral Health Crisis Response Doesn't Exist - We Need To Create It (Health Affairs Forefront)
Podcast: LIVE with with Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator (A Health Podyssey)

A Year in Health Policy Review

Health Affairs — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 01:00:00 -0500

With 2021 about to be in the rearview mirror, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Ellen Bayer gather on Health Affairs This Week to quickly chat about some of the biggest developments in health policy for the year.

Looking back, they talk about the Biden administration's health agenda - which includes a focus on health equity and innovation - as well as the Build Back Better measure, how infrastructure relates to health policy, and where we move from here.

Related Links:

Innovation At The Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services: A Vision For The Next 10 Year (Health Affairs Blog)
A Strategic Vision For Medicaid And The Children's Health Insurance Program (Health Affairs Blog)
How the House Spending Bill Would Expand Health Care Benefits (The Washington Post)
Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (White House)
My First 100 Days and Where We Go From Here: A Strategic Vision for CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)

Global Health Inequity: Examining Omicron Through The Lens of HIV/AIDS

Health Affairs — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 01:00:00 -0500

The first Omicron COVID-19 variant case was confirmed in the state of California this week. But there is a lot we don't know about this new COVID-19 variant.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott discuss what's known (and not known) about the new variant, global health inequity, and how the HIV/AIDS epidemic can inform the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related Links:

The ACA and Health Policy at the Supreme Court with Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 01:00:00 -0500

Since its inception, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has faced legal challenges. With the law on the books for more than 10 years, the measure is still facing litigation.

Cases currently pending before the Supreme Court include Section 1557, the ACA’s primary nondiscrimination provision. The court is still considering to take on additional cases against the ACA related to the health insurance tax and hospital reimbursement policies.

To discuss and make sense of the myriad challenges and lawsuits, Georgetown University's Katie Keith joins Health Affairs' Senior Editor Chris Fleming on Health Affairs This Week. Together, they review the latest ACA challenges [and litigation] and where the courts may take the measure.

Related Links:

ACA Litigation Round-Up: What's Resolved, What's On Hold, And What's Still Moving? (Health Affairs Blog)
Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller, P.L.L.C. (SCOTUSblog)
CVS Health Partners With Disability Community In Commitment To Affordable And Equitable Access To Health Care
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (SCOTUSblog)
Supreme Court Whether 340B Hospitals Retain Discounts on Medicare Part B Drugs (Commonwealth Fund)

Public Health In The Off-Year Election Wrap Up

Health Affairs — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 01:00:00 -0500

Last week, a lot of the coverage regarding the U.S. off-year election cycle focused on the victory of Republican Glenn Youngkin in Virginia.

But there were a number of amendments throughout state elections that focused on public health initiatives.

Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Jeff Byers review some of the public health ballot measures, which touched on topics such as food insecurity, right to food, environmental rights, and police reform.

Related Links:

The Importance Of Mental Health Workers For Mobile Crisis Response (A Health Podyssey)
Enlisting Mental Health Workers, Not Cops, In Mobile Crisis Response (Health Affairs)
Policing, Pot, Housing And The 'Right To Food': Which Ballot Measures Passed (Governing)
The New Environmental Rights Amendment To The New York Constitution (National Law Review)
As The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Passes, Here's What's Next For Biden's Economic Plans (CNBC)

Considering (And Making Sense Of) Health Spending

Health Affairs — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 01:00:00 -0400

Health spending currently accounts for nearly 18% of the US' Gross Domestic Product.

If the nation spends so much on health care - about $11,500 per person in the US - then are we getting a good value in return for that spending?

Last week, Health Affairs launched a newsletter for our Considering Health Spending initiative to bring readers a forum for emerging research that sheds light on how much the nation spends on health care and how we might improve the value of that spending or even change the spending trajectory.

The first issue of the monthly newsletter dives into some classic research on health care spending and value, including the seminal 2003 piece, "It's The Prices, Stupid."

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Health Affairs Senior Editor Laura Tollen joins Deputy Editor Rob Lott to share details on the initiative and discuss the ways researchers are addressing key questions about health care spending and value.

Join the Considering Health Spending LinkedIn group.

Related Links:

Considering Health Spending
The Relationship Between Health Spending and Social Spending In High-Income Countries: How Does The US Compare? (Health Affairs)
Variation In Health Spending Growth For The Privately Insured From 2007 To 2014 (Health Affairs)
What's Been The Bang For The Buck? Cost-Effectiveness Of Health Care Spending Across Selected Conditions In The US (Health Affairs)
Getting The Price Right: How Some Countries Control Spending In A Fee-For-Service System (Health Affairs)

Diving Into WHO's Climate and Health Report Before The UN Climate Summit

Health Affairs — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 01:00:00 -0400

Ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a special report on climate change and health.

The organization proposed a set of recommendations for the global health community to act on the climate crisis.

Drawing from the research and insights from Health Affairs' Climate & Health theme issue (2020), Health Affairs' Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack and Deputy Editor Rob Lott discuss WHO's climate recommendations and review how climate can be folded into the scope of health policy.

Related Links:

Transforming The Medical Device Industry: Road Map To A Circular Economy (Health Affairs)
Developing A Definition Of Climate And Health Literacy (Health Affairs)
How Public Health Took Part in Its Own Downfall (The Atlantic)
COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health (World Health Organization)\

What's Happening with the FDA Commissioner Appointment?

Health Affairs — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 01:00:00 -0400

Last week, it was reported that President Joe Biden is considering Robert Califf to lead the Food and Drug Administration.

The appointment, which has yet to been made official, comes as a mid-November deadline to appoint an FDA Commissioner looms. Currently, the acting commissioner for the agency is Janet Woodcock.

On Health Affairs This Week, Senior Editors Jessica Bylander and Chris Fleming dive into Califf's consideration, why it's important the agency has a leader, and give an overview of the role FDA plays in regulation outside of drugs and medical devices.

Related Links:

Biden Zeroes In On Califf To Head FDA As Deadline Nears (The Washington Post)
The FDA Has Been Without A Permanent Leader For 8 Months As COVID Cases Climb (NPR)
Seven Former FDA Commissioners: The FDA Should Be An Independent Federal Agency (Health Affairs)
FDA Letter to President Biden, March 9, 2021

Zoning Policy is Health Policy

Health Affairs — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 01:00:00 -0400

The downstream effects of exclusionary, low-density residential zoning on health and health equity should make scholars and policy makers focus on reforming zoning to make housing more plentiful and affordable in healthy neighborhoods.

Michael Lens, associate professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy and associate faculty director of the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies at the University of California Los Angeles, recently shared his perspective on the topic in a Health Policy Brief published last month.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Lens joins Health Affairs Deputy Editor of Special Content Rob Lott to discuss his research and how low-density zoning relates to health and health equity.

Related Links:

Low-Density Zoning, Health, and Health Equity (Health Affairs)
Eviction And Health: A Vicious Cycle Exacerbated By A Pandemic (Health Affairs)
Gentrification And The Health Of Legacy Residents (Health Affairs)
To Stem The Spread of COVID-19, Address The Challenges Of Crowded Housing (Health Affairs Blog)

Behind the Pages: Perinatal Mental Health Issue

Health Affairs — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 01:00:00 -0400

In October, Health Affairs published an issue dedicated to perinatal mental health.

There has long been an awareness of the harm associated with perinatal depression and mood disorders. Perinatal depression and mood disorders occur in the context of social, economic, and other health conditions that affect the well-being of birthing people, families, and communities. Prevention, screening, and treatment can promote mental health in pregnant and postpartum individuals, but it is sporadic, and there are many missed opportunities as individuals seek and obtain care within the health care system and community.

The purpose of this theme issue is to explore the policy opportunities and evidence behind those options for improving support for people before, during, and after giving birth.

In today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Senior Editors Leslie Erdelack, Ellen Bayer, and Kathleen Haddad discuss the publication process and highlight the research insights from the issue.

Order the October Perinatal Mental Health Issue.

Health Affairs thanks Jennifer Moore, founding executive director of the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, for serving as theme adviser for the perinatal mental health papers in the October issue. We thank the California Health Care Foundation, Perigee Fund, and ZOMA Foundation for their financial support of this issue.

Related Links:

Health Affairs' Perinatal Mental Health Issue
A Humane Approach To Caring For New Mothers In Psychiatric Crisis (Health Affairs)
Preventing Pregnancy-Related Mental Health Deaths: Insights From 14 US Maternal Mortality Review Committees, 2008-17 (Health Affairs)
Perinatal Mental Health Care In The United States: An Overview Of Policies And Programs (Health Affairs)

Hospital Specialty Pharmacies and 340B

Health Affairs — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 01:00:00 -0400

This week was a busy week on Capitol Hill but on today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Senior Editors Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander look into recent pharmaceutical and drug pricing news.

In one story, Walgreens is investing more into hospital specialty pharmacies to broaden their reach. “Today, around 25 percent of hospitals in the US have an in-house specialty pharmacy—that’s up from 9 percent from just a few years,” says Erdelack.

In another story, a dust up over 340B drug pricing program is playing out between drug companies and the federal government.

Take a break from government shutdown and Capitol Hill news and listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander give an overview on the latest on the pharmaceutical industry.

Related Links:

6 Drug Companies Could Face Steep Fines For Violating 340B Law (Healthcare Dive)
Walgreens Invests Deeper in Hospital Specialty Pharmacies (Axios)
340B Drug Pricing Program (Health Resources & Services Administration)

The Fight to Expand Postpartum Medicaid — And Why It Matters

Health Affairs — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 01:00:00 -0400

Child birth in the US is expensive. One of the largest payers for childbirth in the US is Medicaid, covering 43% of US births in 2018.

New mothers with pregnancy-related insurance coverage via Medicaid can lose their insurance coverage 60 days after the birth of their child. But policy makers are looking to change that and expand postpartum Medicaid coverage.

Join Health Affairs Senior Editor Jessica Bylander and Deputy Editor of Special Content Rob Lott on Health Affairs This Week as they talk about recent policy movements on maternal health and postpartum insurance coverage.

Pre-order the October Perinatal Mental Health Theme Issue.

Related Links:

Opportunities For States To Minimize Postpartum Coverage Loss When The Public Health Emergency Ends (Health Affairs Blog)
Post-ACA, More Than One-Third Of Women With Prenatal Medicaid Remained Uninsured Before Or After Pregnancy (Health Affairs)
Expanding Postpartum Medicaid Coverage (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Racial Disparities in Maternal Health (US Commission On Civil Rights)
Podcast: Breaking Down the 2021 Momnibus Bill (Health Affairs This Week)

COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates, Paid Sick Leave, and the Economy

Health Affairs — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 01:00:00 -0400

Earlier this week, the White House released its "path out of the pandemic," which notes the FDA is currently evaluating a COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 12.

A major pillar in the plan is to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans by using regulatory powers to increase Americans covered by vaccination requirements. For example, the plan requires that all employers with more than 100 employees ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19.

As Health Affairs' Senior Editors Ellen Bayer and Leslie Erdelack note in today's Health Affairs This Week, the workplace is an important focus for public health efforts, as it can be a place where disease spreads. Because of this, paid sick leave policies are important when thinking about public health. However, the US lags behind other countries when it comes to guaranteeing paid sick leave.

Listen to Ellen Bayer and Leslie Erdelack go over President Joe Biden's latest path out of the COVID-19 pandemic and how paid sick leave can influence public health.

View the Full Agenda for Health Affairs' NEW EVENT SERIES.

Related Links:

Path Out of the Pandemic (White House)
COVID-19 Emergency Sick Leave Has Helped Flatten The Curve In The United States (Health Affairs)
Olive Garden's Expansion Of Paid Sick Leave During COVID-19 Reduced The Share Of Employees Working While Sick (Health Affairs)
US Sick Leave In Global Context: US Eligibility Rules Widen Inequalities Despite Readily Available Solutions (Health Affairs)

Health Affairs' Health Equity Round-Up

Health Affairs — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 01:00:00 -0400

In January 2021, Health Affairs posted an announcement regarding its new Health Equity Project.

Since then, Health Affairs has been ramping up its efforts to advance equity in scholarly publishing and health services research.

Last month, the organization announced the members of the Health Affairs' Health Equity Advisory Board. This week, the Health Affairs Blog published a cluster of blogs related to various topics on health equity.

Join Health Affairs' Director of Health Equity Vabren Watts and Senior Editor Rob Lott as they discuss the journal's latest efforts to highlight and advance health equity through a new blog cluster, the new Health Equity Advisory Committee, and the Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees.

Related Links:

Clinically Driven Payment and Benefit Design To Improve Health Equity: The Case of Obesity Prevention and Treatment (Health Affairs Blog)
Medical Algorithms Are Failing Communities of Color (Health Affairs Blog)
A New Effort To Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities In Care Through Quality Measurement (Health Affairs Blog)
Apply to the Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees at Health Affairs

On the Texas Abortion Ban Decision, Medicare's Insolvency & More with Katie Keith

Health Affairs — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 02:00:00 -0400

This week in Health Affairs Today, Georgetown University faculty member and Health Affairs Contributing Editor Katie Keith shared her "back-to-school" reading list with subscribers.

In part to talk about her reading picks for the future health policy leaders of tomorrow, Katie joins Health Affairs Senior Editor Chris Fleming on Health Affairs This Week.

In addition to teasing out a virtual Health Affairs-hosted Lunch-and-Learn event later in September, Katie and Chris discuss the latest on the Texas abortion ban Supreme Court decision, Medicare's projected insolvency, and the health policy landscape at large.

Watch out for details on Katie Keith's virtual Lunch-and-Learn session in September on Health Affairs Events Page or by signing up for Health Affairs Today.

Related Links:

Supreme Court Leaves Texas Abortion Ban In Place (SCOTUS Blog)
Katie Keith's Back To School Reading List (Health Affairs)
Rethinking Race In Medicine: ACOG Removes A Race-Based Cutoff For Anemia In Pregnancy (Health Affairs Blog)
2021 Annual Report Of The Boards Of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
National Health Interview Survey Early Release Program (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)

Back To School Edition: COVID-19 Vaccines & Mask Mandates

Health Affairs — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 02:00:00 -0400

This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Pfizer full approval for its COVID-19 vaccine.

Schools around the country also started to reopen for the 2021-2022 school year. With schools reopening and the Delta variant of COVID-19 flaring up across the US, many are bringing up the pros and cons of mask mandates in schools in addition to COVID-19 vaccine access to young children.

In today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Senior Editors Rob Lott and Jessica Bylander weigh the perspectives for both topics as parents prepare for the new school year.

Sign up to the the Health Affairs Today newsletter for more Back-To-School Essentials content during the week of August 30, 2021. In the newsletter, we will promote past Health Affairs content for future health policy experts.

Related Links:

COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine (FDA)
As Schools Reopen, It's Time To Increase Funding For School-Based Health Centers (Health Affairs Blog)
Children and COVID-19: State-Level Data Report (American Academy of Pediatrics)
The Delta Variant: I’m Vaccinated. Should I Wear A Mask? (Johns Hopkins University)

Inside the Historic Boost for SNAP Food Assistance

Health Affairs — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 01:00:00 -0400

This week, the Biden administration updated its Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to calculate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

The analysis led to an increase in the average SNAP benefit which is set to increase in October.

The cost adjustment, according to the Biden administration, is the first update since the plan was first introduced in 1975.

Food insecurity is a big issue, especially as the social determinants of health increasingly are in health policy discussion. For example, one Health Affairs research article found that food-insecure children are at least twice as likely to report being in fair or poor health.

SNAP reduces the prevalence of food insecurity. Listen to Health Affairs' Editors Jessica Bylander and Leslie Erdelack discuss the Biden administration's latest move on SNAP, and what it means for health care.

Related Links:

Biden Administration Prompts Largest Permanent Increase in Food Stamps (The New York Times)
USDA Modernizes the Thrifty Food Plan, Updates SNAP Benefits (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Loss Of SNAP Is Associated With Food Insecurity And Poor Health In Working Families With Young Children (Health Affairs)
The Effect Of The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program On Mortality (Health Affairs)
Podcast: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill - What's in it for Health Care (Health Affairs This Week)

The Public Transit-Health Connection

Health Affairs — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 01:00:00 -0400

This week, the US Senate approved the sweeping Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan. The bill includes a $39 billion investment in public transit to report aging infrastructure across the US.

Public transportation in the US is an important aspect of American Life, including health care. Health Affairs recently published a Health Policy Brief on the connection between public transportation and health.

On this episode of Health Affairs This Week, Health Affairs' Rob Lott and Jeff Byers discuss what to expect next for the infrastructure bill and dive into the insights from the health policy brief.

Related Links:

Public Transportation In the US: A Driver Of Health And Equity (Health Affairs)
Senate Approves The $1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill In A Historic Vote (NPR)
Podcast: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill - What's in it for Health Care (Health Affairs This Week)

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill - What's in it for Health Care

Health Affairs — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 01:00:00 -0400

Last week, President Joe Biden and his administration released more detail on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

While a lot of focus has been given to provisions, such as the $66 billion investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago, there are many areas which will affect the health care sector.

Health Affairs' Senior Editors Ellen Bayer and Chris Fleming share the latest on the bipartisan infrastructure deal and how health care will be affected, including policies on telehealth, clean drinking water, climate change, broadband internet, and other social determinants of health.

Related Links:

Bipartisan Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (White House Fact Sheet)
A Lead Poisoning Crisis Enters Its Second Century (Health Affairs)
Climate & Health Theme Issue (Health Affairs)
Health Risks Due to Climate Change: Inequity In Causes and Consequences (Health Affairs)
Ensuring the Growth of Telehealth During COVID-19 Does Not Exacerbate Disparities In Care (Health Affairs Blog)

COVID-19: The Latest on Federal Mask Guidance and Vaccine Mandates

Health Affairs — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 01:00:00 -0400

This week has seen considerable movement in the effort to curb the COVID-19 pandemic from the federal level.

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask guidance, recommending that fully vaccinated individuals wear mask indoors in areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates to reduce the spread of COVID-19. At the time of this recording on Thursday July 29, 2021, President Joe Biden is expected to announce a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for federal employees.

On this episode of Health Affairs This Week, editors Rob Lott and Leslie Erdelack discuss the latest on COVID-19, the Delta variant, CDC's updated mask guidance, and President Joe Biden's expected vaccine requirement for federal government employees.

Related Links:

Assessing The Legality Of Mandates For Vaccines Authorized Via An Emergency Use Authorization (Health Affairs Blog)
Community User Of Face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment Of State Mandates In The US (Health Affairs)
President Biden To Announce New Actions To Get More Americans Vaccinated And Slow the Spread Of the Delta Variant (White House)
COVID-19 Data Tracker: Integrated County View (CDC)
When You've Been Fully Vaccinated (CDC)

Behind the Pages: July 2021 Issue on Borders, Immigrants & Health

Health Affairs — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 02:00:00 -0400

In July, Health Affairs published an issue dedicated to borders, immigrants, and health.

A public health crisis is unfolding along and inside the US-Mexico border. Immigrants arriving at the US border are likely to have experienced political, economic, or interpersonal violence prior to their arrival, leading to unmet mental health and physical health needs. Immigrants detained at the border may face crime and violence in border towns as they await trial in the US, or prolonged stays in detention centers and family separations if they are able to cross the border. Immigrants in the US face health challenges that extend well beyond the border.

Health policy issues are impacted by the continuously shifting demography of US immigrants. The July 2021 journal issue of Health Affairs and related content focuses on immigrants and borders and the impact on health policy. The issue examines recent trends in immigrant health and health care after the Great Recession and the nationwide implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

In today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Senior Editors Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the publication process and highlight research insights from the issue.

Order your copy of the July 2021 issue of Health Affairs.

Related Links:

Borders, Immigrants & Health July 2021 Issue (Health Affairs)
Health Policy Challenges Posed By Shifting Demographics And Health Trends Among Immigrants To The United States (Health Affairs)
Immigrant Essential Workers Likely Avoided Medicaid And SNAP Because Of A Change To The Public Charge Rule (Health Affairs)
Podcast: Many US Immigrants May Defer Health Care to Avoid ICE (A Health Podyssey)
Health Care Has Few Plans To Address The Aging Immigrant Population (Axios)

New Biden Executive Order Targets Hospital Mergers & Drug Pricing, Renews Antitrust Focus

Health Affairs — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 02:00:00 -0400

Last week, the Biden Administration unveiled a sweeping executive order, focused on promoting competition in the US economy.

With Lina Khan as the new chairperson of the Federal Trade Commission, the administration is looking to increase its antitrust focus and potentially break up monopolies.

The new executive order contains 72 provisions, giving direction to multiple agencies on sectors such as agriculture, transportation, labor, and health care. In health care, the executive order focuses on drug pricing, hospital mergers and acquisitions, hospital pricing transparency, biosimilars, and comparison shopping for health plans.

Listen to Health Affairs' Deputy Editor Rob Lott and Senior Content Marketing Manager Jeff Byers go over the health care sections in the Biden administration's executive order on promoting competition in the US economy. They also discuss the hipster antitrust movement, the cost of hearing aids, and hospital deal trends since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Related Links:

Fact Sheet: Executive Order On Promoting Competition In The American Economy (White House)
Hospital M&A Down From Pre-Pandemic Highs, Though Deal Size Growing, Kaufman Hall Says (Healthcare Dive)
Biden Administration's First Marketplace Rule Promotes Coverage and Reverse Trump-Era Changes (Health Affairs Blog)
How Biosimilars Are Affecting The Drug Markets (A Health Podyssey)
Lina Khan And the "Hipster Antitrust" Movement (The Atlantic)
The End of Friedmanomics (The New Republic)

No Surprises Act: Known Impacts on Surprise Medical Bills & What's Next

Health Affairs — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 02:00:00 -0400

Last week, the Biden administration issued an interim final rule to implement critical components of the No Surprises Act (NSA).

Building on the Affordable Care Act, the NSA includes new patient protections against surprise medical bills.

About one in five insured adults had an unexpected medical bill from an out-of-network provider, according to a 2020 Kaiser Family Foundation survey. A study released this week found that about one in five newborn hospitalizations or childbirth deliveries result in receiving a surprise medical bill.

These surprise medical bills can cause financial stress to patients and their families.

Listen to Health Affairs' Senior Editors Leslie Erdelack and Chris Fleming break down the interim final rule, how it will impact surprise medical bills or "balance billing," and what we can expect regarding what's next.

Check out the July issue on Borders, Immigrants & Health.

Related Links:

Banning Surprise Bills: Biden Administration Issues First Rule on No Surprises Act (Health Affairs Blog)
Unpacking The No Surprises Act: An Opportunity To Protect Millions (Health Affairs Blog)
Emergency Physicians Recover A Higher Share Of Charges From Out-Of-Network Care Than From In-Network Care (Health Affairs)
Timing Out-of-Pocket Spending In Health Care Is Challenging (A Health Podyssey)
Surprise Billing Protections Are One Step Closer To Becoming Reality (The Washington Post)

Home-based Care Left Out of Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan

Health Affairs — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 02:00:00 -0400

President Joe Biden has been making negotiations to get his massive infrastructure plan over the finish line. Some funding related to health care that was originally in the plan ended up on the cutting room floor.

In particular, $400 billion in federal Medicaid funding for home and community-based long term care services were removed from the plan. The earmarked funds for Medicaid still could be passed through a budget reconciliation act but that remains to be seen. This has implications for the health and well-being of many Americans including low-income individuals 65 and older, people with disabilities, and home-based care workers.

Listen to Health Affairs' Senior Editors Ellen Bayer and Jessica Bylander go beyond recent headlines on President Biden's infrastructure plan and discuss important provisions to improve home-based care.

Order your copy of the July 2021 issue of Health Affairs.

Related Links:

Biden's Pledge To Boost Home Caregiver Funding Excluded From Infrastructure Deal (CNBC)
Making Care Work Pay: How A Living Wage For LTSS Workers Benefits All (Health Affairs Blog)
Home And Community-Based Workforce For Patients With Serious Illness Requires Support To Meet Growing Needs (Health Affairs)
Modernizing Long-Term Services And Supports And Valuing The Caregiver Workforce (Health Affairs Blog)
Direct Care Workers In The United States: Key Facts (PHI)

Unpacking Apple's health care efforts and digital health's overall maturity

Health Affairs — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 02:00:00 -0400

Tech giants like Apple and Alphabet, the parent company of Google, have been trying to push into health care for some time now. But pursuing health care as a business is hard. Recent news of Google reorganizing its health team and Apple struggling to create primary care services illuminate how difficult it can be for companies - even those with deep pockets and resources - to break into the health care industry.

To discuss the recent Apple news as well as the maturity of the digital health industry, Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Brian Dolan, founder of digital health news and market research publication Exits & Outcomes, to Health Affairs This Week. Dolan is a veteran journalist in the health tech space and shares his insights from his reporting on Crossover Health's partnership with Apple.

Related Links:

Apple Struggles In Push To Make Healthcare Its Greatest Legacy (The Wall Street Journal)
The Crossover Health Report (Exits & Outcomes)
Apple Explored Buying A Medical-Clinic Start-Up As Part Of A Bigger Push Into Health Care (CNBC)
Google Is Downsizing Its Health Team And Moving Employees To Fitbit As Part Of A Major Reorganization (Insider)

Peering into the MedPAC crystal ball for the future of Medicare payments

Health Affairs — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 15:07:14 -0400

June is shaping to be a busy month in the health policy space. Two major events happened this week alone.

First, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) survived its latest legal challenge in the Supreme Court. After facing many court challenges, the 2010 policy is still the law of the land.

Also, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) sent a report to Congress on Tuesday making many recommendations to revamp Medicare payments. It's recommendations are not binding but the group is influential in the health policy community. In the report, the advisory group called for streamlining alternative payment models (APMs) and changing how Medicare Advantage benchmarks are calculated.

On this episode of Health Affairs This Week, Senior Editors Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the recent Supreme Court decision and try and demystify what MedPAC is and highlight some of the agency's recommendations from the recent report.

Related Links:

MedPAC June 2021 Report
Affordable Care Act Survives Latest Supreme Court Challenge (The New York Times)
LIVE with Liz Fowler, Director Of The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (A Health Podyssey)
Private Equity Investments In Health Care: An Overview Of Hospital And Health System Leveraged Buyouts, 2003-17 (Health Affairs)
Understanding Private Equity Investment In Hospitals (A Health Podyssey)

Insights into FDA's controversial decision to approve a new Alzheimer's treatment drug

Health Affairs — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 02:00:00 -0400

This week, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Aduhelm (aducanumab) to treat patients with Alzheimer's disease using an accelerated approval pathway.

The drug was approved on June 7, 2021, and the decision was quick to spark controversy. At least two members of a panel of outside advisors to the FDA from Mayo Clinic and Washington University resigned in protest over the drug's approval.

Clinical trials for the drug, which is manufactured by Biogen, showed a reduction in amyloid beta plaques. According to the FDA, that is "a hallmark finding in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's" and "is expected to lead to a reduction in the clinical decline of this...form of dementia."

But there remain concerns about the drug's side effects in addition to its price tag.

Health Affairs' Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack joins Deputy Editor for Special Content Rob Lott on this episode of Health Affairs This Week to discuss the approval and review outstanding questions, drug pricing, and whether pharmaceutical companies might look to old data for new drug approvals.

Related Links:

The FDA's Approval of Aduhelm: Potential Implications Across A Wide Range Of Health Policy Issues and Stakeholders (Health Affairs Blog)
Limiting Coverage Based On Efficacy And Safety: A Path For Medicare Regarding The Alzheimer's Treatment Aducanumab (Health Affairs Blog)
The Search For Effective Alzheimer's Therapies: A Work In Progress (Health Affairs)

States are leading the way on the public option

Health Affairs — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 02:00:00 -0400

President Joe Biden included the public health insurance option, commonly referred to as the "public option," as a major pillar of his health care platform during the 2020 presidential campaign.

To date, the public option hasn't been included in the discourse for the Biden administration. Instead the administration has focused on supporting the Affordable Care Act, among other agenda items.

Now states are leading the charge and considering the adoption of public option policies. Nevada's Governor stated earlier this month that they would sign a public option bill while Colorado is also considering a public option. Washington adopted similar legislation in 2019.

On today's episode, Georgetown University's Katie Keith joins Health Affairs Blog Editor Chris Fleming to discuss the latest on how states are leading the way on the public option. In addition, Katie shares her insights on where the major Affordable Care Act case - California v. Texas - currently stands in the Supreme Court.

Related Links:

The Origins And Demise Of The Public Option (Health Affairs)
Hill Democrats Ask For Input On Public Option As CO, NV Consider Adoption (Health Affairs Blog)
Letter from Frank Pallone, Jr. and Patty Murray on Public Health Insurance Option (May 26, 2021)
Sisolak Pledges To Sign Public Option Health Care Bill (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Public Option(al): What Happened To Biden's Big Idea? (Tradeoffs)

Does the US have a drug innovation problem?

Health Affairs — Fri, 28 May 2021 02:00:00 -0400

Last week, Representative Katie Porter took AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez to task on drug pricing during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing. Porter highlighted the CEO's high salary while pointing to increases in drug prices in the pharmaceutical industry.

The narrative casts pharmaceutical companies as villains but it's more complicated than that. It's true that pharmaceutical companies provide life-saving medicines and it's also true that some drugs simply aren't affordable for individuals that would benefit from them.

On this episode of Health Affairs This Week, Senior Editor Jessica Bylander joins Deputy Editor Rob Lott to discuss the inherent tensions in drug innovation and pricing.

Related Links:

Beyond The High Prices Of Prescription Drugs: A Framework To Assess Costs, Resource Allocation, And Public Funding (Health Affairs)
New Players Join The Drug Development Game (Health Affairs)
Lawmakers Pitch A Bill To Create $30 Billion In 'Biobonds' To Jumpstart Drug Development (Stat News)
Drug Pricing Conversations Must Take The Cost Of Innovation Into Consideration (Stat News)
Nonprofits, Federal Government Surpass Pharma To Lead Alzheimer's Drug Development (Medical Xpress)

Behind the CDC’s new COVID-19 mask guidelines for those who are fully vaccinated

Health Affairs — Fri, 21 May 2021 01:00:00 -0400

Last week, the CDC updated its guidance on mask-wearing in public for individuals that are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The agency stated, "if you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic." That means fully vaccinated individuals can wear masks indoors or outdoors if they choose to.

Unsurprisingly, this guidance was met with controversy.

Some critics felt the guidelines were too abrupt while others questioned if the guidelines hold up principles of health equity. On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Health Affairs' Blog Editor Chris Fleming and Director of Equity Vabren Watts review the CDC guidelines and discuss the criticism and remaining questions surrounding the agency's decision.

Related Links:

When You've Been Fully Vaccinated (CDC)
Fauci Says Public Is 'Misinterpreting' Latest CDC Mask Guidance (CNBC)
The CDC's Mask Guidance Is A Mess. Biden Needs To Clean It Up (Washington Post)
Community Use Of face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment Of State Mandates In The US (Health Affairs)

Three unanswered questions for telehealth's future

Health Affairs — Fri, 14 May 2021 02:00:00 -0400

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the telehealth landscape. Many physicians and patients had their first experience with a telehealth visit as lockdown measures limited in-person physician offices.

Many questions remain whether the telehealth explosion is a flash-in-the-pan success or if it will have long-lasting changes in patient visit behaviors.

Health Affairs' Chris Fleming and Rob Lott join Health Affairs This Week to discuss a recently published series of blog articles on the topic and unpack the biggest questions regarding the future of telehealth, including:

Should Medicare continue payment parity?
Where does payment reform stand on telehealth?
What are current barriers affecting implementation of telehealth?

Related Links:

The Coming Conflict Over Tele-Visits: The Need For Innovation In Payment And Information Sharing (Health Affairs Blog)
Understanding The Case For Telehealth Payment Parity (Health Affairs Blog)
Congress: Act Now To Ensure Telehealth Access For Medicare Benefits (Health Affairs Blog)
Mutual Recognition Of Physician Licensure By States Would Provide For Better Patient Care (Health Affairs Blog)
How Telehealth Can Enable New Care Management Strategies In Alternative Payment Models (Health Affairs Blog)

The next wave of federal food aid for children and families

Health Affairs — Fri, 07 May 2021 09:02:00 -0400

Last month, the Biden administration unveiled the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which includes $45 billion to enrich federal nutrition programs for families and children. The plan builds on the expansion of the Pandemic-EBT program from March 2021.

Research has shown that summer EBT programs decrease food insecurity among children but some children have yet to benefit from the COVID-19 pandemic food aid program due to administrative challenges.

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss food insecurity and President Biden's latest efforts on federal food aid.

Related Links:

How COVID-19 Threatens The Safety Net For US Children (Health Affairs)
Biden Proposal Will Make Free School Lunch Available To 29 Million Children Every Summer (CNBC)
Low-Income Families Left Waiting For Billions In Food Aid As Children Go Hungry (Politico)
The Effect Of Pandemic EBY On Measures Of Food Hardship (Brookings)

Aggressive policing damages health equity and community health

Health Affairs — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 08:43:14 -0400

Aggressive policing, or aggressive order maintenance policing, is prevalent throughout the US, negatively affecting the health of those exposed to it.

Dr. Hedwig Lee, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, along with colleagues Michael Esposito and Savannah Larimore discuss these effects in a new Health Affairs Policy Brief. The brief is part of Health Affairs ongoing series of policy briefs on the social determinants of health.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Rob Lott talks with Dr. Lee about the brief, how little data there is on aggressive policing, and how the practice can not just negatively impact individuals, but also their families and communities at large.

Related Links:

Aggressive Policing, Health, And Health Equity (Health Affairs)
Health Affairs' Culture of Health Policy Briefs

Hospitals at large are failing at price transparency

Health Affairs — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 02:00:00 -0400

Last week, members of the Subcommittee on Health sent the US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra a letter, urging the agency to enforce compliance for the Hospital Price Transparency Final Rule, which went into effect on January 2021.

The rules requires hospitals to make available to the public a machine-readable list for all standard charges for items and services and to display an easy-to-read list for the most shoppable health care services for patients.

But, hospital compliance to the rule currently looks lacking.

The letter cites a Health Affairs study that found 65 of the 100 largest hospitals were "unambiguously non-compliant" between January 2021 to early February 2021. In addition, in April 2021 the Wall Street Journal reported that some hospitals hide pricing data from online search results.

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott discuss the latest on the Hospital Price Transparency Final Rule and what impacts it may have on hospitals and patients.

Related Links:

Low Compliance From Big Hospitals On CMS's Hospital Price Transparency Rule (Health Affairs Blog)
New Year, New CMS Price Transparency Rule For Hospitals (Health Affairs Blog)
Hospitals Hide Pricing Data From Search Results (Wall Street Journal)
Early Results From Federal Price Transparency Rule Show Difficulty In Estimating The Cost Of Care (Kaiser Family Foundation)

What's the deal with hospital mergers?

Health Affairs — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 02:00:00 -0400

This week, Microsoft announced a $19-billion deal to acquire Nuance Communications, a health tech firm. It's one of the many recent merger and acquisition deals in the health care space.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Jeff Byers puts on his ex-reporter hat and joins Jessica Bylander to discuss the Nuance-Microsoft deal and review a recent Kaufman Hall report that found hospital merger deals were down in 2020, but still highly valued.

Listen to Jeff and Jessica talk about hospital merger and acquisition trends and what it all means for the future of hospitals.

Related Links:

2020 M&A In Review: COVID-19 As Catalyst For Transformation (Kaufman Hall)
Hospital Prices Grew Substantially Faster Than Physician Prices For Hospital-Based Care in 2007-14 (Health Affairs)
What We Know About Provider Consolidation (Kaiser Family Foundation)
2020 Market Insights Report: Chasing A New Equilibrium (Rock Health)
Consolidation of Providers Into Health Systems Increased Substantially, 2016-18 (Health Affairs)
Reversing Hospital Consolidation: The Promise Of Physician-Owned Hospitals (Health Affairs Blog)

A renewed effort to address the opioid epidemic

Health Affairs — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 02:30:00 -0400

In this National Public Health Week episode, Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Vabren Watts discuss the latest federal effort to address the opioid crisis.

This week, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra extended the declaration of the opioid crisis as a public health emergency. These declarations expire every 90 days, and the agency first declared this one in 2017.

Leslie and Vabren join Health Affairs This Week to examine how the drug epidemic has evolved and how the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on mental health and social isolation have impacted it.

Related Links:

COVID-19 Converges With The Opioid Epidemic: Challenges For Pregnant and Postpartum Women With Opioid Use Disorder (Health Affairs Blog)
Responding To COVID-19: Supporting People In Recovery From Opioid Use Disorder (Health Affairs Blog)
Medicaid Expansion Increased Medications For Opioid Use Disorder Among Adults Referred By Criminal Justice Agencies (Health Affairs)
The Spike In Drug Overdose Deaths During The COVID-19 Pandemic and Policy Options To Move Forward (The Commonwealth Fund)
The Health 202: Overdose Deaths May Have Topped 90,000 in 2020 (The Washington Post)

Drug pricing on the agenda for massive infrastructure bill

Health Affairs — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 02:00:00 -0400

It's Infrastructure Week and H.R. 3, a far-reaching piece of legislation which contains a series of drug-pricing reforms, is back.

At the end of 2019, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3 but partisan disagreements prevented the bill from becoming law. Now, elements of H.R. 3 are back on the table as the Biden administration prepares its $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs package.

Washington University's Rachel Sachs joins Health Affairs' Chris Fleming to break down H.R. 3's three main parts and highlight what they mean for the federal budget, pharmaceutical companies, and consumers.

Related Links:

Prescription Drug Legislation In Congress: An Update (Health Affairs Blog)
Rachel Sachs' Health Affairs Articles
Prescription Drug Policy: The Year In Review, And The Year Ahead (Health Affairs Blog)
Administration Finalizes Most-Favored Nation Drug Pricing Rules At The Last Minute (Health Affairs Blog)
Democrats Gear Up For Major Push To Lower Drug Prices (The Hill)

Elevating women's voices in health policy during Women's History Month

Health Affairs — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 09:26:00 -0400

March is Women's History Month. On today's Health Affairs This Week, Vabren Watts and Jessica Bylander give thanks and recognition to the women who have contributed important research and insights to the Health Affairs community.

For example, Sara Rosenbaum from the George Washington University School of Public Health and colleagues published a piece on the Health Affairs Blog this week explaining how the American Rescue Plan impacts state Medicaid programs. Of note, the law creates a new state option to increase Medicaid postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months.

In addition, Jessica and Vabren discuss the latest on COVID-19 vaccines and how clinical trials are beginning to evaluate the vaccines in pregnant women.

Listen now to catch up on this week in health policy.

Related Links:

Medicaid And The American Rescue Plan: How It All Fits Together (Health Affairs Blog)
Pregnant Women Pass On COVID Vaccine Protection To Newborns (U.S. News & World Report)
Pfizer And Biontech Commence Global Clinical Trial To Evaluate COVID-19 Vaccine In Pregnant Women (Pfizer)

In addressing vaccine hesitancy, how the message is delivered matters

Health Affairs — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 02:00:00 -0400

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, some are hesitant to receive the shot if and when their number is called. It's upon the government and health care industry to connect targeted messaging and information to groups of individuals expressing hesitancy through trusted resources.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott note that, when it comes to health and wellbeing, people may not respond to politicians but they do listen to their doctors.

Vaccine hesitancy has COVID-19 herd immunity implications so this messaging is critical as we fight the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Listen to Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott discuss vaccine hesitancy, explain what it is, and how health care professionals can leverage social proof to help inform decisions regarding vaccine hesitancy.

Related Links:

Four Steps To Help Achieve COVID-19 Vaccine Adoption: How Health Professionals Can Embrace Their Role As Messengers (Health Affairs Blog)
Reflections On Governance, Communication, And Equity: Challenges And Opportunities In COVID-19 Vaccination (Health Affairs)
The White House Is Set To Unveil A Wide-Reaching, Billion-Dollar Campaign Aimed At Convincing Every American To Get Vaccinated (Stat News)
'We Want To Be Educated, Not Indoctrinated,' Say Trump Voters Wary of COVID Shots (Washington Post)

American Rescue Plan addresses the Affordable Care Act's unfinished business

Health Affairs — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 16:12:08 -0500

The American Rescue Plan was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday March 11, 2021.

A lot of news has covered the inclusion of the $1,400 stimulus check, but there is a lot in the bill concerning health and health care policy. For example, the American Rescue Plan offers financial incentives to states that have yet to expand Medicaid. In addition, the bill expands the eligibility for health insurance subsidies and temporarily relieves premium tax credit claw backs for 2020. These changes are expected to extend coverage to about 2.5 million uninsured consumers from 2021 through 2023.

On today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Georgetown University faculty member and Health Affairs Contributing Editor Katie Keith joins Health Affairs Blog Editor Chris Fleming to discuss what's in the American Rescue Plan for health care.

Related Links:

Biden's $1.9 Trillion Rescue Plan Set To Turbocharge U.S. Economy (NPR)
Final Coverage Provisions In The American Rescue Plan And What Comes Next (Health Affairs Blog)
The Affordable Care Act's Insurance Marketplace Subsidies Were Associated With Reduced Financial Burden For US Adults (Health Affairs)
Biden And New Congress Tackle COVID-19, ACA (Health Affairs)
CBO Analyzes American Rescue Plan Coverage Expansions (Health Affairs Blog)
New Incentive For States To Adopt The ACA Medicaid Expansion: Implications For State Spending (Kaiser Family Foundation)

What nursing home turnover means for quality of care

Health Affairs — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 02:30:00 -0500

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues in the U.S.

Of note, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized a new vaccine from Johnson & Johnson for emergency use. But vaccine equity is still a concern as President Joe Biden promised a COVID-19 vaccine for "every adult in America" by the end of May 2021.

Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Rob Lott meet up on Health Affairs This Week to discuss the latest on the vaccine rollout as well as new research on nursing home staff turnover, which was published in the March 2021 edition of Health Affairs. The results were recently profiled by New York Times' Reed Abelson.

Related Links:

High Nursing Staff Turnover In Nursing Homes Offers Important Quality Information (Health Affairs)
The Big Idea Behind A New Model Of Small Nursing Homes (Health Affairs)
High Staff Turnover At US Nursing Homes Poses Risks For Residents' Care (New York Times)
FDA Authorizes Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine For Emergency Use (Johnson & Johnson)

Music provided by Fake Fever.

COVID-19 vaccine production is dramatically ramping up

Health Affairs — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0500

According to survey company Civiqs, 51% of Americans plan on taking a COVID-19 vaccine if and when it becomes available. As the U.S. exceeds 500,000 deaths related to COVID-19, the Biden administration is working to deploy more than 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as well as combat vaccine hesitancy.

On Health Affairs This Week, Leslie Erdelack and Chris Fleming discuss the latest on COVID-19, vaccine availability, and the status on various health policy court cases and administrative regulations.

Related Links:

COVID-19: U.S. Surpasses 500,000 COVID-19 Deaths, A Monumental Loss (New York Times)
Hearing On "Pathway To Protection: Expanding Availability Of COVID-19 Vaccines" (House Committee on Energy & Commerce)
Building On The Gains Of The ACA: Federal Proposals To Improve Coverage And Affordability (Health Affairs)
As The Biden Administration Begins Unwinding Them, Medicaid Work Experiments Remain Unreasonable, Unnecessary, And Harmful (Health Affairs Blog)
Ensuring Equitable Access To COVID-19 Vaccines In The US: Current System Challenges And Opportunities (Health Affairs)

Music provided by Fake Fever.

What a $15 minimum wage could mean for population health

Health Affairs — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 08:54:06 -0500

The minimum wage hasn't been raised since its last adjustment in 2009. Now, as the federal government is drafting a COVID-19 stimulus package, it looks that gradually raising the minimum wage is on the table to be included.

This week, President Joe Biden stated he supported raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

But what are the health implications for raising the minimum wage? More money could mean an increased ability to purchase health coverage...or unhealthy food. But these aren't binary decisions and the research is still evolving for how increased minimum wages affect our health.

Listen to Health Affairs' Rob Lott and Jeff Byers discuss what's happening with the $15 minimum wage proposal, what it could mean for population health, and what's next.

Related Links:

Effects Of Minimum Wages On Population Health (Health Affairs)
Health, Income, & Poverty: Where We Are & What Could Help (Health Affairs)
CBO Analyzes American Rescue Plan Coverage Expansions (Health Affairs Blog)
Biden Picks Another Obama Veteran To Oversee Medicare, Medicaid (Washington Post)
CVS Health Will Return Aetna To Obamacare Market (Forbes)
Anthem-backed Digital Startup Sharecare Goes Public In $3.9B Blank Check Deal (Healthcare Dive)
The Perils Of Prolonged Unemployment (Axios)

Music provided by Fake Fever.

Breaking down the 2021 Momnibus bill

Health Affairs — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 03:31:00 -0500

Early this week, Representatives Lauren Underwood, Alma Adams, Cory Booker, and members of the Black Maternal Health Caucus announced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021. The piece of legislation builds on existing maternal health legislation and seeks to mitigate racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes.

Health Affairs editors Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander break down what's new and important in the Momnibus 2.0 bill, noting the inclusion of initiatives to mitigate climate change-related risks for moms and babies and grow the perinatal workforce.

Health Affairs is planning a cluster of papers on perinatal mental health, to be published in October of 2021. Don't miss the issue and subscribe to the journal.

Related Links:

Saving Moms, Saving Lives (Health Affairs Blog)
Maternal Morbidity And Mortality (National Institutes of Health)
Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 Press Release
High Rates of Perinatal Insurance Churn Persist After The ACA (Health Affairs Blog)
Maternal Mortality and Maternity Care in the United States Compared to 10 Other Developed Countries (The Commonwealth Fund)

What is and isn't in the Biden executive order on Medicaid and the ACA

Health Affairs — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 04:30:00 -0500

Last week, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to help strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Health Affairs editors Chris Fleming and Rob Lott join special guest and Health Affairs' rapid response health reform expert Katie Keith to discuss what's in it and what could be implied from the new executive order. Chris, Rob, and Katie also discuss what's at stake for the ACA regarding continued litigation.

Related links:

President Biden to Sign Executive Orders Strengthening Americans' Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care (White House)
Biden Executive Order To Reopen HealthCare.gov, Make Other Changes (Health Affairs)
ACA Litigation Round-Up: A Status Check (Health Affairs)
Equity Metrics: Toward A More Effective And Inclusive Pandemic Response (Health Affairs)
An Alternative Vaccine Strategy To Reduce COVID-19 Morbidity And Mortality (Health Affairs)

A call for health equity in scholarly publishing

Health Affairs — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0500

This week President Joe Biden released his vision for advancing racial equity. On the same day, Health Affairs released details of its new Health Equity project.

To spotlight the organization's approach to the topic and project, Health Affairs published two blogs to outline the program's details. Editor-In-Chief Alan Weil outlined his view on racism and health equity, stating where there is racism, only anti-racist systems can generate equitable results. Director of Equity Vabren Watts wrote on the subject of dismantling racism, noting that Health Affairs plans to be intentional in promoting and advancing equity.

Ultimately, Health Affairs is aiming for equitable participation, with authors, reviewers and editors representative of the diversity of the health policy community. The organization will seek out new voices from institutions, disciplines, and communities that have not historically been well represented in its pages.

On this episode of This Week, Jessica Bylander and Vabren Watts discuss the new health equity project.

Related Links:

A Health Affairs collection of Health Equity theme issues, journals, blogs and podcasts (Health Affairs)
An Editor's View Of Race, Racism, And Equity (Health Affairs)
Dismantling Racism In Scholarly Publishing, Intentionally And Unapologetically (Health Affairs)
Scientific Journals Commit To Diversity But Lack the Data (New York Times)

More seats at the federal table for health equity

Health Affairs — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0500

This week, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. With a new administration comes a new staff alongside new agendas.

Biden has already made history by appointing Rachel Levine, an openly transgender woman, as assistant secretary of health at HHS. Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Vabren Watts welcome the new administration with a discussion on what the Biden administration means for health equity and diversity at large. In addition, Vabren teases the announcement of Health Affairs new Health Equity Project.

Related Links:

Increases In Women's Political Representation Associated With Reductions In Child Mortality In Brazil (Health Affairs)
Measuring Equity From The Start: Disparities In The Health Development Of US Kindergartners (Health Affairs)
Just How Diverse Is President Biden's Prospective Cabinet? (Brookings)

What could Medicaid and COVID-19 vaccine distribution look like under a Biden administration?

Health Affairs — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0500

The news in 2021 has yet to slow down in the realm of health policy. For one, reports have found that unused COVID-19 vaccines are being thrown away, calling into question what to be done about vaccine distribution. In addition, the Trump administration recently approved a Tennessee Medicaid block grant waiver.

Listen to editors Christopher Fleming and Jessica Bylander discuss the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and what the Biden administration may do with Medicaid block grants and work requirements when entering office.

Related Links:

In Its First 100 Days, The Biden Administration Must Restore The Soul Of Medicaid (Health Affairs Blog)
The Affordable Care Reduced Income Inequality In The US (Health Affairs)
See How The Vaccine Rollout Is Going In Your State (New York Times)

Health policy on the table in 2021 with democratic Congress

Health Affairs — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Editors Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott kick off 2021 with a new episode of This Week.

A lot of news was crammed into the first week of 2021. Early on, Haven, the health care organization founded by Amazon, J.P. Morgan, and Berkshire Hathaway, decided to fold after being in business for three years. The Georgia runoff election confirmed a democratic Congress for the incoming Biden Administration. And, in late December 2020, a sweeping legislative package added more protections from surprise medical bills.

Listen to Leslie and Rob talk about what all these events mean for health policy in 2021.

Related Links:

What a Democratic Congress Means For the ACA (Health Affairs Blog)
Coverage Provisions in the 2021 Appropriations and COVID-19 Stimulus Package (Health Affairs Blog)
Arbitration Over Out-Of-Network Medical Bills: Evidence from New Jersey Payment Disputes (Health Affairs)

Overlooked health policy stories of 2020 - Part 2

Health Affairs — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 05:00:00 -0500

The COVID-19 pandemic defined the majority of the year 2020. But it wasn't the only story to follow this year, especially in the field of health policy.

In a special extended episode of Health Affairs This Week (the second of two end-of-year episodes), Leslie Erdelack, Vabren Watts and Jessica Bylander discuss some of the stories you may have missed in health policy if you focused most of your attention on the pandemic. The group highlights drug pricing and regulations, the public charge rule, and the increase in health literacy due to the pandemic.

Related Links:

Overlooked health policy stories of 2020 - Part 1

Health Affairs — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 05:00:00 -0500

The COVID-19 pandemic defined the majority of the year 2020. But it wasn't the only story to follow this year, especially in the field of health policy.

In a special extended episode of Health Affairs This Week (the first of two end-of-year episodes), Leslie Erdelack, Chris Fleming, and Rob Lott discuss some of the stories you may have missed in health policy if you focused most of your attention on the pandemic. The group highlights the Affordable Care Act turning 10, antitrust regulations, and environmental rollbacks.

Related Links:

Snow can't stop the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain

Health Affairs — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Checking in from Colorado and Baltimore, Jessica Bylander and Vabren Watts enter the snow discourse before jumping into the latest on COVID-19 vaccines. Supply chains are sending dosages. Frontline workers are receiving them. And, the Health Affairs team reminds us that we can’t ignore the importance of messaging and social distancing as COVID-19 cases rise throughout the U.S.

Related Links:

Climate change and the future of health policy

Health Affairs — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 05:30:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Chris Fleming discuss why health policy is ready to enter the climate change discussion. From the latest Greta Thunberg Hulu documentary to president-elect Joe Biden's pick of John Kerry as a "climate envoy," Leslie and Chris note climate change is too big of an issue for the field to ignore.

This episode dovetails with Health Affairs first ever journal issue dedicated to climate change and how the issue intersects with health policy.

Is a COVID-19 vaccine within reach?

Health Affairs — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 07:00:00 -0500

Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Rob Lott chat in the first episode of Health Affairs This Week about COVID-19, vaccine distribution, emergency use authorization for vaccines, toddlers' interpretations of masks, public health messaging, and mistrust for the healthcare industry.

Related Links:

A Health Podyssey: Ensuring Equitable Access to a COVID-19 Vaccine Once It's Here (Health Affairs)
Clinical Outcomes of a COVID-19 Vaccine: Implementation Over Efficacy (Health Affairs)
An Overview of Vaccine Development, Approval, and Regulation, with Implications for COVID-19 (Health Affairs)
On Racism: A New Standard for Publishing on Racial Health Inequities (Health Affairs)
ACIP Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (ACIP)