Health Affairs This Week

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Listen to Ryann Tanap and Vabren Watts discuss the latest news and developments in the Health Equity Department at Health Affairs. They preview elevating voices during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and the first published article from the Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees. Plus, Vabe shares a scene report from the conferences he recently attended.Sign up for our newsletters, podcasts, and social media to stay informed on our health equity efforts.Related Links:Antiracist Institutional Change in Healthcare (Harvard)Health Policy Brief: US Residential Segregation (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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Chris Fleming and Rob Lott interview Sabrina Corlette from Georgetown University on the health of the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and the final rule for the HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2024, which has many initiatives related to health equity.Join us April 24 for a special Insider-only Virtual Networking event!Related Links:Final 2024 Payment Rule, Part 1: Insurance Market Rules And Consumer Assistance (Health Affairs Forefront)Final 2024 Payment Rule, Part 2: Risk Adjustment (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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the large amount of news and controversy over the abortion pill mifepristone as the drug's 2000 approval -- and subsequent changes to how patients can access it -- make their way through the courts. NOTE: This episode was recorded in the afternoon of April 13, 2023, shortly before the Justice Department requested the Supreme Court to restore access to the mifepristone. Related Links:FDA's Liberalization of Mifepristone Dispensing: Securing The Future Of Access To Medical Abortion (Health Affairs Forefront)Drugmakers sign letter supporting FDA and calling for reversal of Texas judge's mifepristone ruling (CNN)Abortion Medication Mifepristone Will Remain Legal for Now, but With More Restrictions (Vanity Fair)United States Department of Justice Statement - April 13, 2023Currently, 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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Kathleen Haddad interview Melanie Bella, head of partnerships & policy at Cityblock Health and current chair of Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) on Medicaid expansion, dual eligibles and more.Read the Health Affairs Forefront series Medicare and Medicaid Integration. Related Links:Governor Cooper Signs Medicaid Expansion Into LawIntegrating Medicare And Medicaid For Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries Through Managed Care: Proposed 2023 Medicare Advantage Regulations (Health Affairs Forefront)When The Public Health Emergency Ends: What Will It Mean For Dually Eligible Individuals? (Health Affairs Forefront)Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans: A Primer (Justice In Aging)Preserving Integration For Dual Eligible Individuals After The End Of The Medicare-Medicaid Plan Model (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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Marianne Amoss discuss the recent antitrust lawsuit against Express Scripts and Prime Therapeutics regarding pharmacy benefit managers and alleged collusion to share drug pricing information.Join us for a Lunch and Learn Event on Health Care Workforces on April 4. This event is supported by the de Beaumont Foundation.Related Links:Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Their Role in Drug Spending (The Commonwealth Fund)The Association Between Drug Rebates and List Prices (University of Southern California)Ohio Attorney General David Yost Files Suit Against Express Scripts, Prime Therapeutics Over Rising Drug Costs (FierceHealthcare)Podcast: Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the FTC & You (Health Affairs This Week)Health Policy Brief: Pharmacy Benefit Managers (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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Chris Fleming dive into the complex world of insulin pricing and recent efforts to control its costs for the millions of Americans with diabetes. Read the Ahead of Print article on Medicare Advantage benchmarks by Michael Chernew and colleagues.Related Links:Sanofi announces insulin price cap after actions by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk (NBC News)Why is insulin so expensive and difficult to cap? (AP News)California Picks Generic Drug Company Civica to Produce Low-Cost Insulin (Kaiser Health News)Insulin as Preventive Care: Why Not Eliminate Patient Cost Sharing? (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. Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.