Health Affairs This Week

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)

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)

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

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)

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:AcademyHealth Situation ReportsPRESS RELEASE: AcademyHealth Joins Lawsuit to Restore Public Health Data Removed from Federal WebsitesBecome an AcademyHealth Member

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)

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 DiveTracker: 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

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:National Health Expenditure Projections, 2024–33: Despite Insurance Coverage Declines, Health To Grow As Share Of GDPCMS National Health Expenditure Data

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 McWilliams7/9: Supreme Court Wrap-Up with moderator Sara Rosenbaum joined by panelists William Sage, Barak Richman, and Renee LandersView all Upcoming Events.Related Articles:The People SayFlex 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)

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.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, Laura Tollen, and others.Related Articles:The House Republican Budget Reconciliation Legislation: Unpacking The ICHRA And HSA Changes (Health Affairs Forefront)Health Policy At A CrossroadsTrump tax bill will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and leave 10.9 million more uninsured, CBO says (AP News)Expansions to Health Savings Accounts in House Budget Reconciliation: Unpacking the Provisions and Costs to Taxpayers (KFF)