Health Affairs This Week

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)

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 NegotiationA 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)

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

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)

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 HealthRequest For Abstracts - Perinatal Mental HealthCurrently, 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' 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)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' 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)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 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)