November 5, 2024
A New Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine Is Now Available
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 391, no. 14, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
Healthcare
November 1, 2024
Texas hospitals must now ask patients whether they’re in the US legally. Here’s how it works
(Associated Press) – Texas hospitals must ask patients starting Friday whether they are in the U.S. legally and track the cost of treating people without legal status following an order by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that expands the state’s clash … Read More
November 1, 2024
A New Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine Is Now Available
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 391, no. 15, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
October 29, 2024
How Taxpayers Are Helping Health Insurers Make Even Bigger Profits
(New York Times) – Local governments often face extra fees when employees get out-of-network medical care, but some don’t track the insurance charges or even know about them. Behind the fees is a little-known partnership between major insurers — including … Read More
October 29, 2024
In Western North Carolina, Helene’s Devastation Is Threatening Health Care Access
(New York Times) – Dozens of volunteer doctors, nurses and psychologists traveled to the region to treat people whose routines, including medical appointments, were disrupted by the storm. Even before the storm sent floodwaters raging through this slice of mountainous … Read More
October 24, 2024
Lawsuit says “ghost networks” are denying Americans mental health care
(Axios) – The push for more transparency in the health system is increasingly taking aim at “ghost networks” — the inaccurate health provider directories that critics say are keeping Americans from getting mental health care. Why it matters: A lawsuit … Read More
October 24, 2024
Medicare Paid Insurers Billions for Questionable Home Diagnoses, Watchdog Finds
(Wall Street Journal) – Private Medicare insurers got about $4.2 billion in extra federal payments in 2023 for diagnoses from home visits the companies initiated, even though they led to no treatment, a new inspector general’s report says. The extra … Read More
October 23, 2024
“Not Medically Necessary”: Inside the Company Helping America’s Biggest Health Insurers Deny Coverage for Care
(ProPublica) – When companies like Aetna or UnitedHealthcare want to rein in costs, they turn to EviCore, whose business model depends on turning down payments for care recommended by doctors for their patients. A ProPublica and Capitol Forum investigation found … Read More
October 18, 2024
Doctors, Not AI, Should Authorize Treatments
(MedPage Today) – Last month, California passed a bill ensuring that doctors, not artificial intelligence (AI), have the final say on patients’ treatments and services. The bill, SB1120, allows insurance companies to use AI to review doctors’ recommendations for medical … Read More
October 18, 2024
A New Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine Is Now Available
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 391, no. 13, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
October 17, 2024
Native healing practices to get Medicaid coverage
(Axios) – Several state Medicaid programs will soon cover Indigenous healing practices used by American Indians and Alaska Natives under waivers granted Wednesday by the Biden administration. Why it matters: Native patients are likelier to trust traditional healing that’s been … Read More
October 16, 2024
Independent pharmacies may skip low-cost Medicare drugs
(Axios) – More than half of independent pharmacies are considering not stocking the first 10 drugs that were subject to Medicare price negotiations over concerns they’ll have to absorb upfront costs. Why it matters: If the drug stores decide it’s … Read More
October 16, 2024
A New Edition of Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics Is Now Available
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics (vol. 33, no. 3, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
October 15, 2024
Big vials of Alzheimer’s drug could cost Medicare $336M
(Axios) – What they found: While doses are calculated individually based on patient weight, the current vial sizes could lead to 5.8% of the dispensed drug being wasted, the UCLA researchers calculated. That comes out to $1,619 of unnecessary spending … Read More
October 10, 2024
Politicians say health plans should cover IVF. Currently only 1 in 4 employers do
(NPR) – One round of in vitro fertilization or IVF can cost you around $20,000 (or more). It’s a multi-step process that involves retrieving eggs from ovaries, fertilizing them in a lab, watching the embryos develop, and then transferring them … Read More
October 10, 2024
Mark Cuban takes his PBM fight to employers
(Axios) – The latest calls to revamp the prescription drug market and lower prices are coming from billionaire Mark Cuban, who’s urging corporations to dump the middlemen that handle their drug benefits and shop for better deals with providers and … Read More
October 9, 2024
A New Edition of The New England Journal of Medicine AI Is Now Available
The New England Journal of Medicine AI (vol. 1, no. 10, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
October 8, 2024
The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms
(Vox) – Under new private equity ownership, ERs adopted an assortment of unsavory practices. Firms not only pressured clinicians to see patients faster, as illustrated by John’s experience, but to recommend hospital admission for more patients. They also dramatically raised … Read More
October 8, 2024
Access questions hang over Gilead’s HIV shot
(Axios) – A new, long-acting shot to prevent HIV could represent a turning point in efforts to reduce cases around the world — if enough people can access it. Why it matters: The twice-a-year injection to prevent sexually transmitted infections … Read More
September 30, 2024
1 in 3 teens can’t get tampons or pads during their periods, study finds
(NBC News) – The lack of access can increase the risk of infections, depression and missing school and social activities. A third of teens and young adults in the U.S. can’t afford or otherwise access menstrual products, according to new … Read More
September 27, 2024
New prescription drug price hikes hit Black patients hard
(NBC News) – Black and Latino people use 10% to 40% fewer prescription drugs because of high costs, according to a report by Patients for Affordable Drugs. Prices for prescription pharmaceutical drugs have skyrocketed, disproportionately making them harder for people … Read More
September 27, 2024
Acadia Hospitals Reach $20 Million Settlement With Justice Dept.
(New York Times) – The F.B.I. is also investigating the large chain of psychiatric hospitals for holding patients longer than what is medically necessary. Acadia Healthcare, one of the country’s largest for-profit chains of psychiatric hospitals, has agreed to pay … Read More
September 26, 2024
Despite Persistent Warnings, Texas Rushed to Remove Millions From Medicaid. That Move Cost Eligible Residents Care.
(ProPublica) – Officials acknowledged some errors after they stripped Medicaid coverage from more than 2 million people, most of them children. Some people who believe they were wrongly removed are desperately trying to get back on the state and federally … Read More
September 25, 2024
Judge Lets Over 8,000 Catholic Employers Deny Worker Protections for Abortion and Fertility Care
(Associated Press) – A federal judge is allowing more than 8,000 Catholic employers nationwide to reject government regulations that protect workers seeking abortions and fertility care. In a sharply worded order, U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor, of Bismarck, North Dakota, … Read More
September 24, 2024
Minority Docs Likelier to Care for Poor Patients
(Axios) – Doctors of color may be bearing a disproportionate burden caring for patients most in need, with Black and Latino physicians far likelier to accept Medicaid than their white peers, new research shows. Why it matters: The findings provide … Read More
