Health Affairs This Week

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Katie Keith of Georgetown Law to the program to discuss the 15th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and the first 50 days of the new Trump administration.Katie Keith is a frequent contributor to the Health Affairs Forefront series Health Policy At A Crossroads. Catch up on what you may have missed.Health Affairs will be hosting a theme issue briefing on April 8 to celebrate the release of our April 2025 issue focusing on food, nutrition & health. RSVP for the event and preorder your copy of the new issue today!Also, join Health Affairs on April 23 for an exclusive Insider virtual event exploring site-neutral payments.  Make sure you sign up for all of our free newsletters to stay up to date on new events, podcasts, Forefront, and journal articles.Related Articles:HHS Proposes To Restrict Marketplace Eligibility, Enrollment, And Affordability In First Major Rule Under Trump Administration (Part 1) and (Part 2) (Health Affairs Forefront)What Lies Ahead For Medicaid In Budget Reconciliation? (Health Affairs Forefront)Health Affairs Forefront's Following The ACA seriesThe Affordable Care Act At Fifteen: Policy Surprises And Lessons (Health Affairs Forefront)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Brian Anderson, President & CEO of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), to the program to discuss the adoption of artificial intelligence technology in health care and the future application of these tools.Health Affairs is hosting an Insider-exclusive virtual event on March 19th examining the potential policy and administrative changes surrounding the Medicaid program and what they may mean in terms of coverage, operations, and financing. Sign up today.Related Links:Artificial Intelligence In Health And Health Care: Priorities For Action (Health Affairs)

Rebecca Pifer from Healthcare Dive joins to dissect the evolving landscape of U.S. healthcare policy. She delves into the recent budget resolution, its implications for Medicaid, and the internal GOP conflicts. The conversation highlights Trump's revisited health agenda, focusing on price transparency, abortion rights, and the challenge of potential Medicare cuts. Pifer also emphasizes the impact of these changes on low-income communities and the evolving needs of the healthcare workforce, painting a vivid picture of the future of healthcare in America.

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers invites Victor Dzau of the National Academy of Medicine to the program to discuss the 2025 Vital Directions paper package and what major takeaways could be found to inform the incoming administration for the future of health care.Join a live recording of A Health Podyssey on March 12 featuring Rob Lott and Yashaswini Singh discussing her recent paper on the effect of private equity on physician turnover.  Register for the live taping here.Related Links:Podcast: Don Berwick on How to Fix US Health Care (A Health Podyssey)Vital Directions for Health & Health Care: Priorities for 2025 Webinar (National Academy of Medicine)Vital Directions For Health And Health Care: Priorities For 2025 (Health Affairs)Updating US Public Health For Healthier Communities (Health Affairs)Artificial Intelligence In Health And Health Care: Priorities For Action (Health Affairs)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the program to discuss two recent reports exploring the impacts of private equity on the US health care system. Health Affairs published an ahead-of-print article from Michelle S. Rockwell and coauthors exploring demographic variation in COVID-19-associated outpatient hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin use and spending throughout the public health emergency. Also, join a live recording of A Health Podyssey on March 12 featuring Rob Lott and Yashaswini Singh discussing her recent paper on the effect of private equity on physician turnover.  Register for the live taping here.Related Articles:HHS Releases Report on Consolidation and Private Equity (PE) in Health Care MarketsFTC retains stricter merger guidelines under Trump (Healthcare Dive)REPORT: Profits Over Patients: The Harmful Effects of Private Equity on the U.S. Health Care SystemREPORT: HHS Consolidation in Health Care Markets RFI Response 

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Mark Fendrick of The University of Michigan's Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) to discuss the recent announcement from CMS that the Medicare Advantage VBID model would be ending after 2025, and what the future holds for VBID moving forward with the new Trump administration. Check out a recently released Health Policy brief from Nathaniel Tran and Gilbert Gonzales exploring LGBTQI+ policies.Join Health Affairs on February 25 for an exclusive Insider virtual event featuring Stacie Dusetzina and Laura Tollen discussing HHS’s announcement of the 15 additional drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiations, including weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.Also, join a live recording of A Health Podyssey on March 12 featuring Rob Lott and Yashaswini Singh discussing her recent paper on the effect of private equity on physician turnover.  Register for the live taping here. Related Articles:The End Of The MA Value-Based Insurance Design Model: What Next? (Health Affairs Forefront)V-BID X: Creating A Value-Based Insurance Design Plan For The Exchange Market (Health Affairs Forefront)Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model to End after Calendar Year 2025 (CMS)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Kinika Young of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to the program to discuss a recent final rule/advisory issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and how this rule will impact the scope of medical debt in the US today.  Check out a recently released Health Policy brief from Nathaniel Tran and Gilbert Gonzales exploring how public debates and enactments of both pro- and anti-LGBTQI+ policies affect LGBTQI+ populations in the places where they live, learn, work, play, and age.Also, join Health Affairs on February 25 for an exclusive Insider virtual event featuring Stacie Dusetzina and Laura Tollen discussing HHS’s announcement of the 15 additional drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiations, including weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.Related Articles:New Federal Guidance Puts Medical Debt Collectors On Notice (Health Affairs Forefront)Consumer advisory: Pause and review your rights when you hear from a medical debt collector (CFPB)Nearly 1 in 2 Patients with Medical Debt Feel "Trapped," New Poll from Leading Health Care Orgs Find (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Ellen Bayer to the program to examine the US Food & Drug Administration's most recent work on food and nutrition policy, as well as what was done in the final days of the Biden administration and where things stand today.Health Affairs will be releasing a theme issue focusing on Food, Nutrition, & Health in April 2025.Next week, Health Affairs will be releasing their February 2025 issue that will feature a health policy road map for a new US administration. The papers featured in this road map have been published ahead-of-print. Order your copy today. Related Articles:FDA Finalizes Updated “Healthy” Nutrient Content ClaimFront-of-Package Nutrition LabelingPresident Trump Enacts Regulatory Freeze and Halts Public Communications for Federal Agencies (The National Law Review)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Katie Keith of Georgetown Law to the program to discuss what to watch for in 2025 as the Trump administration takes office and what that could mean for future health policy regulations.Katie Keith helped us kickoff a new Health Affairs Forefront series entitled Health Policy At A Crossroads. Check out the first installment.Health Affairs also published an ahead-of-print series of papers. The Vital Directions for Health and Health Care: Priorities for 2025, features seven articles highlighting key areas for action and transformative change in US health care.Related Articles:Health Policy At A Crossroads: What To Watch In 2025 (Health Affairs Forefront)Following The ACA series (Health Affairs Forefront)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack back to the program to discuss the latest hospital price transparency requirements that began in 2025, how many hospitals are actually following these regulations, and what effect noncompliance has on consumers' access to health care.Check out a recently released Health Policy brief from Derek Griffith and Andrew Twinamatsiko exploring the laws and policies prohibiting the discussion of what the Trump administration labeled “divisive concepts” and their impact on health equity. And we recently unveiled a refresh to our Health Affairs Insider program. Learn more about the recent changes and how to become an Insider today!Watch our Virtual Briefing on Uses of Health Care Price Transparency Data: Status, Innovations, & OpportunitiesRelated Articles:Many hospitals still aren’t complying with price transparency rule: OIG (Healthcare Dive)HHS: Nearly half of hospitals aren’t following CMS price transparency rule (Healthcare Brew)Latest updates to hospital price transparency rules aim to make the data more useful (Stat News)