Health Affairs This Week

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)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.

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 CourtRelated Links:How Health Care May Be Affected by the High Court's Affirmative Action Ruling (KFF Health News)Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeEliminating Racism In Health Care Before And After The Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision (Health Affairs Forefront)Brief for Amici Curiae Association of American Medical CollegesCurrently, 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.

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)

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:A Victory for Medicaid Beneficiaries In Supreme Court’s Talevski DecisionInside The Administration’s Proposed Medicaid Managed Care Rule: Steering A BehemothIs The Supreme Court Poised To Wipe Out Legal Rights For Medicaid Beneficiaries?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.

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)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.

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)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.

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)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.

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 NewsCurrently, 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.

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)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.

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)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.