The Healthcare Policy Podcast ® Produced by David Introcaso

Listen NowLate last year Gilead Sciences received FDA approval for its Hepatitis C drug Solvaldi.   Hepatitis C (Hep C) affects three to four million Americans and can have serious health consequences.  Gilead priced the drug at $1,000 a pill or between $84,000 and $168,000 for the full, curative treatment (effective in approximately 90% of patients).   However as priced if every Hep C patient received Solvaldi the cost would equal the combined annual spending amount for all drugs sold in the US.During this 21 minute podcast Chris discusses how and why this drug's pricing effects all of health care financing and delivery, the work the DC-based Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing is doing to try to mitigate Solvaldi's cost, when and if similar Hep C drugs entering the market will force Gilead to lower its price and why past efforts to moderate pharmaceutical drug pricing, e.g., authoring Medicare to negotiate drug prices it pays, have proved unsuccessful.   Through this past April Chris Dawe was the Health Care Policy Adviser for the White House National Economic Council.  Previously, Chris served as Director of Delivery System Reform at the US Department of Health and Human Services.  Before joining the administration in 2011 Chris served as a Professional Staff member for the US Senate Finance Committee under Chairman Max Baucus. From 2007 to 2008, Chris served as Health Policy Adviser to Senator John Kerry. Prior still Chris was a Legislative Analyst at Jennings Policy Strategies in DC, while there he served in 2006 as the Deputy Director for Global Health at the Clinton Global Initiative.   Before coming to Washington, DC, Chris was a Market Analyst at Partners Healthcare, Massachusetts' largest hospital system.  Chris is a Massachusetts native and a magna cum laude gratudate of Bowdoin College.   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Listen NowAs is well known Congressional Republicans have vehemently opposed the Affordable Care Act (the ACA or Obamacare). House Republicans, for example, have voted an estimated 50 times to replace the law.   Despite their criticisms over the past four years only recently has the party presented anything that approaches a substantive alternative to the ACA. Earlier this year an alternative proposal was presented by Republican Sentors Burr, Coburn and Hatch titled the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility and Empowerment (CARE) Act. During this 21 minute podcast Jim discusses several provisions of the CARE plan, i.e., auto-enroll and continuous coverage, coverage limits and mandates, limitations on the tax exclusion, reforms to Medicaid and other issues.          James C. Capretta is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, DC, where he provides research and analysis on a wide range of public policy and economic issues with a focus on health-care and entitlement reform, US fiscal policy and global population aging.  He also is presently a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.  Mr. Capretta previously served in senior positions in the executive and legislative branches of the federal government for sixteen years.  For example, from 2001 to 2004, he was an Associate Director at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where he had responsibility for health care, Social Security, education, and welfare programs.  He received his MA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University and was graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Government.Details regarding the CARE Act can be found at: http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/rightnow?ContentRecord_id=7ef8f0d5-bf56-4ea3-80fe-7f86765a00ca&ContentType_id=b4672ca4-3752-49c3-bffc-fd099b51c966. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Listen NowPrimary care is considered the bedrock of healthcare delivery.   Primary care services promotes wellness, prevents disease onset, progression, exacerbation and premature death and moderates the need for higher-cost specialty services.   However, as the recent news about wait times at VA health care facilities demonstrated, the US suffers a shortage of primary care providers.  The current shortage, estimated at approximately 8,000 primary care physicians, is anticipated to grow to 50,000 or more by 2020. During this 21 minute discussion Dr. O'Malley explains why primary care is becoming more team based and why that is important, the adoption and use of electronic medical records in the primary care practice setting and the emergence of retail health clinics over the past 15 years and her assessment thereof.    Dr. Ann O’Malley is a Senior Fellow in the Health Research Division at Mathematica, a social policy research organization.   Her research focuses moreover on primary care and quality of care.  Dr. O’Malley has also held faculty positions at Georgetown University Medical Center where she worked on research funded by the NIH's National Cancer Institute and foundations examining the use of evidence-based preventive services in primary care settings.  She serves as a reviewer and has published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs, and the Annals of Internal Medicine.  She is a member of AcademyHealth and a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine.  Ann earned her MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and her MPH in Health Policy and Management from Johns Hopkins. For more on retail health clinics see this 2013 Center for Studying Health System Change publication titled "Despite Rapid Growth, Retail Clinic Use Remains Modest," by Ha T. Tu and Ellyn R. Boukus at: http://www.hschange.org/CONTENT/1392/. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Listen NowIn May 2011 Vermont passed legislation signed by Governor Peter Shumlin creating a single-payer, publicly financed, universal health care system termed Green Mountain Care.  The law recognized health care as a public good much like electricity.  The program, not expected to go into effect until at least 2017, will be defined by an independent board, the Green Mountain Care Board, created to oversee all aspects of the program including rate setting, hospital budget authorization and the regulation of insurance carriers.  The single payer system is expected to increase insurance claims costs but the savings derived from lower administrative costs are expected to result in net savings.During this 19 minute discussion Joshua discusses how politically Green Mountain Care came about, where presently the state is in rolling out the plan, how the state's insurance marketplace will enable the program, what role private insurance plans will play, how will the program be financed, what skeptics are saying and how Vermont's effors may inform the on-going natonal health care policy debate. Joshua Slen served as Vermont's Mediciad Director from 2004-2008.  Presently, or since 2011, Joshua has been an Executive Account Director with Molina Healthcare.  He was a Senior Consultant to Bailit Health Purchasing from 2009-2011 and prior to serving as Medicaid Director he was a Deputy (Budget) Commissioner and a Budget and Management Analyst for the State of Vermont.  Joshua began his public service career working in several Ohio state budget offices from 1991-1999.  He earned his MPA at Ohio State University and his BA in political science at Wittenberg University.    To learn more about Green Mountain Care go to: http://gmcboard.vermont.gov/.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Listen Now The ACA's open enrollment period ended this past March 31st. Over eight million Americans signed up for health care insurance.  Of these 2.2 million, or 28 percent, were young adults or between the ages of 18 and 34.  In 26 states and the District of Columbia approximately 15 million adults with income below 138 percent of the poverty level became eligible for Medicaid coverage.  (19 states are not participating in the ACA's Medicaid expansion program and five states remain undecided).  During this 21 minute discussion Brian explains the National Association of Insurance Commissioner's (NAIC) work, what we know about the 8 million individuals that signed up for health care insurance under the ACA marketplaces, the most popular plan, what "effectuated enrollment" means, how many individuals already had insurance and prospects for 2015 enrollment.Brian Webb is the Manager of Health Policy and Legislation for NAIC. The NAIC represents the insurance regulators in all 50 states, DC and the five U.S. territories.  Previously, Brian worked on Medicare and Medicaid policy for the BlueCross BlueShield Association and prior still was the Assistant VP for Legislation for the then-Federation of American Health Systems (FAHS).  Brian began working in DC in 1988 as a legislative aide for Congressman Bill Thomas.  After six years with Mr. Thomas, Brian worked for five years in California Governor Pete Wilson’s Washington office as health and welfare aide and Deputy Director.  Brian was graduated with a MPA from The George Washington University and his Bachelor's degree is from Biola University in California.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Listen NowThis past April 24th the FDA announced a proposed rule to regulate e-cigarettes.  The FDA is, in part, proposing to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, require manufacturers to disclose e-cigarette ingredients and prohibit manufacturers to claim e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes without submitting scientific proof.  The proposed rule did not forbid TV advertising and does not ban flavorings such as cotton candy and Gummi Bear.   Are these regulations adequate, or alternatively, even necessary since some claim e-cigarettes are a lifesaver since they can prevent smokers from consuming harmful tobacco.  During this 23 minute discussion Dr. Abrams, in part, provides a brief overview of the Schroeder Institute's work, evaluates the efficacy of e-cigarettes as an aid to smoking cessation (are they a lifesaver), assesses the FDA's proposed regulations and how they might be improved.   David B. Abrams is the Executive Director of the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Reseach and Policy Studies at the Legacy Foundation.  He is also a Professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown Univeristy Medical Center, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Previously, Dr. Abrams directed the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research at NIH.  He has published over 250 scholary articles and monographs, served as President of the Society for Behavioral Medicine and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award from  the American Society for Preventive Oncology.    He was graduated from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa with a BS in Computer Science and from Rutgers University with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.For more on the FDA's proposed rule, see: www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/default.htm This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Listen NowThe 2010 Affordable Care Act created the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at CMS with $10 billion in funding to test innovation and service delivery models to improve health care delivery and outcomes and reduce costs.   To date the CMS Innovation Center has funded one round of innovation awards throughout the US (a second round of awards are expected to be announced this summer).  In DC, Mary's Center was awarded in 2012 a three-year $15 million grant to create the "Capital Clinical Integration Network" (CCIN).  The CCIN promises to save $17 million over three years by implementing and testing an integrated clinical network to improve care for chronically ill DC residents whom typically rely on emergency room visits for health care.  To do this Mary's Center will, in part, train and hire 44 health care workers to serve as care managers and community-based care coordinators.  During this 18 minute discussion Dr. Pistulka discusses Mary's Center's work generally, how the CCIN is organized, the clinical care and social service support work CCIN is doing via care coordinators and others and results they've been able to achieve now two years into the three year CMMI award.   Gina Pistulka joined Mary’s Center in 2006.  During her 17 years in nursing, she has also worked as a rural public health nurse and as an urban health nurse educator in Minnesota.  She has also done nursing work overseas in Central America.  Her research background includes having done cross-cultural intervention research.   She has also served on boards to further nurse training through Catholic University of America and via the nonprofit organization Truth About Nursing.   Gina was graduaged from Johns Hopkins with a duel Master’s in Public Health and Community Health Nursing and in 2007 received her Ph.D. in Nursing also from Johns Hopkins. To learn more regarding CMMI's innivation awards see: http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/map/index.html. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Listen NowSince the 1960s Community Health Centers (CHCs) have been providing health care services to moreover minority populations, the poor and the uninsured.  Today there are approximately 1,200 health centers providing health care to over 20 million Americans in all fifty states.  They our the nation's true safety net.  The Affordable Care Act created the CHC Fund that provided $11 billion over five years for the expansion of health centers and services throughout the country.   During this 20 minute discussion Michelle Proser discusses the work of the National Association of Community Health Centers, how CHCs work to reduce health care disparities, what work CHCs have been doing with ACA's $11 billion in  funding and the potential effect should CHC Fund moneys not be renewed when they expire later next year. Michelle Proser is the Director of Research at the National Association of Community Health Centers where she conducts research and policy analysis on a variety of topics used to empower health centers and educate policymakers and the public.  Michelle also directs NACHCs’ efforts to build health center capacity for community-directed translational research.   Previously, Michelle served as a research analyst at the Center for Health Services Research and Policy at The George Washington University.   Michelle received her MPP from George Washington and is presently a Ph.D. candidate at GWU. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Listen NowSince 1992 use of the RBRVS (Resource Based Relative Value Scale) has been the prevailing method by which physician procedure prices are determined.  The method or formula for determining prices is managed by the AMA's RUC (or the Relative Value Update Committee).  In recent years the RUC has come under increasing criticism largely because their work perversely incents the use or overuse of higher priced medical procedures. The RUC has been a topic of Congressional hearings over the past few years and just this past week the Congress included a provision in the so called "doc fix" bill to have the DHHS Secretary begin to collect information on physician services to better determine relative values in setting physician fees.  During this 23 minute conversation Kavita discusses how the RUC determines prices, the AMA's defense of the RUC process, what effect price skewing has on the practice of primary care and how the RBRVS might be reformed.   Dr. Kavita Patelis a Fellow in the Economic Studies program and Managing Director for clinical transformation and delivery at the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution.  She is also a practicing primary care internist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.  She served previously in the Obama Administration as Director of Policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement in the White House.  Dr. Patel also served as Deputy Staff Director for the late Senator Edward Kennedy.  She too has an extensive research and clinical background having worked as a researcher at the RAND Corporation and as a practicing physician in both California and Oregon.  She earned her medical degree from the University of Texas and her masters in public health from the UCLA. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Listen Now Corporate Owned Life Insurance are life insurance policies corporations buy on their employees whereby the corporation is the named beneficiary.  This practice, at least initially, was adopted as a way of insuring a company against the loss of a limited number of key executives.  These policies also became attractive because both premium returns and benefits paid were not taxed.  Over time large companies, like Walmart, purchased these policies on millions of employees increasingly for the tax advantages and, industry executives argued, to provide or afford employee and retiree medical benefits.  Beyond the moral objection of profiting from an employee's death, even in instances where the person dies years after they left their employer, these polices perversely incent companies to compromise on insuring employee health and workplace safety.  While regulatory limitations have been placed on these policies, in 2007 dead peasant's insurance was estimated to account for 30% of the life insurance market.  During this 22 minute podcast Peter explains what is an "insurable interest," whether we know how corporations use the income derived from these policies, whether  employee consent is required, the outcome of law suits filed by surviving family members against corporations for this practice, reforms made in 2006 to better regulate this practice and whether these policies do indeed on balance undermine insuring worker safety and health status.   Professor Peter Kochenburger is the Executive Director of the University of Connecticut's Law School’s Insurance Law Center.  He also serves as Director of the Law School’s graduate program, is a Consumer Representative for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and is an Associate Editor for the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal.  Before joining UConn. in 2004 Professor Kochenburger spent eleven years as Counsel at Travelers Property Casualty, where he managed coverage and bad faith litigation, as well as legislative and regulatory affairs across such subjects as workers compensation, OSHA, guaranty funds, tort reform, antitrust, and environmental issues.  His professional experience also includes serving as an Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division of Iowa’s Department of Justice and from 1986-1988 he served as Special Assistant to the dean of the Harvard Law School.  He is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School.Related articles'Dead Peasant Insurance' Still Alive in Corporate America This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com