Health Affairs This Week

This week was a busy week on Capitol Hill but on today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Senior Editors Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander look into recent pharmaceutical and drug pricing news.In one story, Walgreens is investing more into hospital specialty pharmacies to broaden their reach. “Today, around 25 percent of hospitals in the US have an in-house specialty pharmacy—that’s up from 9 percent from just a few years,” says Erdelack. In another story, a dust up over 340B drug pricing program is playing out between drug companies and the federal government.Take a break from government shutdown and Capitol Hill news and listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander give an overview on the latest on the pharmaceutical industry.Related Links:6 Drug Companies Could Face Steep Fines For Violating 340B Law (Healthcare Dive)Walgreens Invests Deeper in Hospital Specialty Pharmacies (Axios)340B Drug Pricing Program (Health Resources & Services Administration)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast

Child birth in the US is expensive. One of the largest payers for childbirth in the US is Medicaid, covering 43% of US births in 2018.New mothers with pregnancy-related insurance coverage via Medicaid can lose their insurance coverage 60 days after the birth of their child. But policy makers are looking to change that and expand postpartum Medicaid coverage.Join Health Affairs Senior Editor Jessica Bylander and Deputy Editor of Special Content Rob Lott on Health Affairs This Week as they talk about recent policy movements on maternal health and postpartum insurance coverage.Pre-order the October Perinatal Mental Health Theme Issue.Related Links:Opportunities For States To Minimize Postpartum Coverage Loss When The Public Health Emergency Ends (Health Affairs Blog) Post-ACA, More Than One-Third Of Women With Prenatal Medicaid Remained Uninsured Before Or After Pregnancy (Health Affairs)Expanding Postpartum Medicaid Coverage (Kaiser Family Foundation)Racial Disparities in Maternal Health (US Commission On Civil Rights)Podcast: Breaking Down the 2021 Momnibus Bill (Health Affairs This Week)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast

Earlier this week, the White House released its "path out of the pandemic," which notes the FDA is currently evaluating a COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 12.A major pillar in the plan is to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans by using regulatory powers to increase Americans covered by vaccination requirements. For example, the plan requires that all employers with more than 100 employees ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19.As Health Affairs' Senior Editors Ellen Bayer and Leslie Erdelack note in today's Health Affairs This Week, the workplace is an important focus for public health efforts, as it can be a place where disease spreads. Because of this, paid sick leave policies are important when thinking about public health. However, the US lags behind other countries when it comes to guaranteeing paid sick leave. Listen to Ellen Bayer and Leslie Erdelack go over President Joe Biden's latest path out of the COVID-19 pandemic and how paid sick leave can influence public health.View the Full Agenda for Health Affairs' NEW EVENT SERIES.Related Links:Path Out of the Pandemic (White House)COVID-19 Emergency Sick Leave Has Helped Flatten The Curve In The United States (Health Affairs)Olive Garden's Expansion Of Paid Sick Leave During COVID-19 Reduced The Share Of Employees Working While Sick (Health Affairs)US Sick Leave In Global Context: US Eligibility Rules Widen Inequalities Despite Readily Available Solutions (Health Affairs)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast

In January 2021, Health Affairs posted an announcement regarding its new Health Equity Project.Since then, Health Affairs has been ramping up its efforts to advance equity in scholarly publishing and health services research.Last month, the organization announced the members of the Health Affairs' Health Equity Advisory Board. This week, the Health Affairs Blog published a cluster of blogs related to various topics on health equity. Join Health Affairs' Director of Health Equity Vabren Watts and Senior Editor Rob Lott as they discuss the journal's latest efforts to highlight and advance health equity through a new blog cluster, the new Health Equity Advisory Committee, and the Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees.  Related Links:Clinically Driven Payment and Benefit Design To Improve Health Equity: The Case of Obesity Prevention and Treatment (Health Affairs Blog)Medical Algorithms Are Failing Communities of Color (Health Affairs Blog)A New Effort To Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities In Care Through Quality Measurement (Health Affairs Blog)Apply to the Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees at Health AffairsSubscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast

This week in Health Affairs Today, Georgetown University faculty member and Health Affairs Contributing Editor Katie Keith shared her "back-to-school" reading list with subscribers.In part to talk about her reading picks for the future health policy leaders of tomorrow, Katie joins Health Affairs Senior Editor Chris Fleming on Health Affairs This Week. In addition to teasing out a virtual Health Affairs-hosted Lunch-and-Learn event later in September, Katie and Chris discuss the latest on the Texas abortion ban Supreme Court decision, Medicare's projected insolvency, and the health policy landscape at large.Watch out for details on Katie Keith's virtual Lunch-and-Learn session in September on Health Affairs Events Page or by signing up for Health Affairs Today.Related Links:Supreme Court Leaves Texas Abortion Ban In Place (SCOTUS Blog)Katie Keith's Back To School Reading List (Health Affairs)Rethinking Race In Medicine: ACOG Removes A Race-Based Cutoff For Anemia In Pregnancy (Health Affairs Blog)2021 Annual Report Of The Boards Of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)National Health Interview Survey Early Release Program (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast

This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Pfizer full approval for its COVID-19 vaccine. Schools around the country also started to reopen for the 2021-2022 school year. With schools reopening and the Delta variant of COVID-19 flaring up across the US, many are bringing up the pros and cons of mask mandates in schools in addition to COVID-19 vaccine access to young children. In today's episode of Health Affairs This Week, Senior Editors Rob Lott and Jessica Bylander weigh the perspectives for both topics as parents prepare for the new school year.Sign up to the the Health Affairs Today newsletter for more Back-To-School Essentials content during the week of August 30, 2021. In the newsletter, we will promote past Health Affairs content for future health policy experts. Related Links:COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine (FDA)As Schools Reopen, It's Time To Increase Funding For School-Based Health Centers (Health Affairs Blog)Children and COVID-19: State-Level Data Report (American Academy of Pediatrics)The Delta Variant: I’m Vaccinated. Should I Wear A Mask? (Johns Hopkins University)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast

This week, the Biden administration updated its Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to calculate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.The analysis led to an increase in the average SNAP benefit which is set to increase in October.The cost adjustment, according to the Biden administration, is the first update since the plan was first introduced in 1975.Food insecurity is a big issue, especially as the social determinants of health increasingly are in health policy discussion. For example, one Health Affairs research article found that food-insecure children are at least twice as likely to report being in fair or poor health.SNAP reduces the prevalence of food insecurity. Listen to Health Affairs' Editors Jessica Bylander and Leslie Erdelack discuss the Biden administration's latest move on SNAP, and what it means for health care. Related Links:Biden Administration Prompts Largest Permanent Increase in Food Stamps (The New York Times)USDA Modernizes the Thrifty Food Plan, Updates SNAP Benefits (U.S. Department of Agriculture)Loss Of SNAP Is Associated With Food Insecurity And Poor Health In Working Families With Young Children (Health Affairs)The Effect Of The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program On Mortality (Health Affairs)Podcast: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill - What's in it for Health Care (Health Affairs This Week)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast

This week, the US Senate approved the sweeping Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan. The bill includes a $39 billion investment in public transit to report aging infrastructure across the US.Public transportation in the US is an important aspect of American Life, including health care. Health Affairs recently published a Health Policy Brief on the connection between public transportation and health.On this episode of Health Affairs This Week, Health Affairs' Rob Lott and Jeff Byers discuss what to expect next for the infrastructure bill and dive into the insights from the health policy brief.Related Links:Public Transportation In the US: A Driver Of Health And Equity (Health Affairs)Senate Approves The $1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill In A Historic Vote (NPR)Podcast: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill - What's in it for Health Care (Health Affairs This Week)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast

Last week, President Joe Biden and his administration released more detail on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.While a lot of focus has been given to provisions, such as the $66 billion investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago, there are many areas which will affect the health care sector.Health Affairs' Senior Editors Ellen Bayer and Chris Fleming share the latest on the bipartisan infrastructure deal and how health care will be affected, including policies on telehealth, clean drinking water, climate change, broadband internet, and other social determinants of health.Related Links:Bipartisan Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (White House Fact Sheet)A Lead Poisoning Crisis Enters Its Second Century (Health Affairs)Climate & Health Theme Issue (Health Affairs)Health Risks Due to Climate Change: Inequity In Causes and Consequences (Health Affairs)Ensuring the Growth of Telehealth During COVID-19 Does Not Exacerbate Disparities In Care (Health Affairs Blog)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast

This week has seen considerable movement in the effort to curb the COVID-19 pandemic from the federal level.On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask guidance, recommending that fully vaccinated individuals wear mask indoors in areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates to reduce the spread of COVID-19. At the time of this recording on Thursday July 29, 2021, President Joe Biden is expected to announce a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for federal employees.On this episode of Health Affairs This Week, editors Rob Lott and Leslie Erdelack discuss the latest on COVID-19, the Delta variant, CDC's updated mask guidance, and President Joe Biden's expected vaccine requirement for federal government employees.Related Links:Assessing The Legality Of Mandates For Vaccines Authorized Via An Emergency Use Authorization (Health Affairs Blog)Community User Of Face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment Of State Mandates In The US (Health Affairs)President Biden To Announce New Actions To Get More Americans Vaccinated And Slow the Spread Of the Delta Variant (White House)COVID-19 Data Tracker: Integrated County View (CDC)When You've Been Fully Vaccinated (CDC)Subscribe: RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Castro | Stitcher | Deezer | Overcast