Health Affairs This Week

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Ellen Bayer to the program to take a closer look at the health care-related topics tied to the upcoming US presidential election. The two cover home care, reproductive health, drug pricing, and more throughout their conversation.RSVP for our upcoming Journal Club Event on 10/21 featuring an examination on the timing of new drug launches in low-, middle-, and high-income markets from 1982 to 2024.Check out our 2024 Election Collection available from Health Affairs with featured paywalled content made available for $39.95.This week, Forefront debuted a new series focusing on "Ethics and Health System Change." The first article from M Gregg Bloche can be read here and information about submitting articles for the symposium can be found through our submission portal. Related Articles:Eye on The IRA series (Health Affairs)2024 Election Collection (Health Affairs)PBMs. What Are They Hiding? w/ Stacie Dusetzina (Health Affairs This Week)Rachel Sachs Explains the FTC's Pharmacy Benefit Manager Lawsuit & PBM Reform (Health Affairs This Week)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the program to discuss Medicare open enrollment, the newly-announced 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings, and how large insurance companies may be scaling back Medicare Advantage product offerings. Check out the October 2024 issue of Health Affairs.RSVP for our upcoming Journal Club Event on 10/21 featuring an examination on the timing of new drug launches in low-, middle-, and high-income markets from 1982 to 2024.Check out our 2024 Election Collection available from Health Affairs with featured paywalled content made available for $39.95. In preparation of our November 2024, explore a new ahead-of-print article from Gary Claxton and coauthors on employer strategies for covering GLP-1 agonists, mental health, substance use, and other family benefits as employer-sponsored health insurance premiums continue to increase.Related Articles:PRESS RELEASE FROM CMS NEWSROOM: 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star RatingsMedicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits: Origins, Evolution, And Issues For Policy Making (Health Affairs Forefront)

This episode was originally published on June 14, 2024.Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Michael Chernew to discuss the recently released National Health Expenditures Projections for 2023–32 from the Office of the Actuary (OACT) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).Join us for these upcoming events:6/18/24 - Journal Club: “Community Power-Building Groups And Public Health NGOs: Reimagining Public Health Advocacy”7/10/24 - Lunch and Learn: Supreme Court Wrap-UpRelated Articles:National Health Expenditure Projections, 2023–32: Payer Trends Diverge As Pandemic-Related Policies Fade (Health Affairs)National Health Expenditure Data from CMS

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Rachel Sachs of Washington University, St. Louis to discuss a recent lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against the three largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the country for rebating practices that the FTC claims resulted in inflating the list price of insulin.Health Affairs just released an Election 2024 resource hub for research and studies associated with key issues in the upcoming US presidential election. Related Articles:PBMs. What Are They Hiding? w/ Stacie Dusetzina (Health Affairs This Week)FTC sues major pharmacy benefit managers over insulin prices (Healthcare Dive)The Implications Of Rutledge v. PCMA For State Health Care Cost Regulation (Health Affairs Forefront)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Brad Ryan, MD, Chief Growth Officer at NCQA, to the program to discuss the evolving state of EHRs, who owns the data, whether providers are excited about data standards, and what opportunities could be out there as health care embraces more digital efforts and arrangements.Health Affairs released an ahead-of-print article this week by Gillian K. SteelFisher and coauthors examining the public awareness and perceptions of Paxlovid as well as discovering that a majority of Americans have limited awareness of the at-home COVID-19 treatment. Order the September 2024 issue of Health Affairs.Related Articles:Digital Quality Transition Hub from NCQAElectronic health records giant Epic Systems sued over alleged monopolistic practices (Stat+)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the program to discuss the upcoming 2024 open enrollment season for Medicare and what changes to expect with recent news that large insurance companies may be scaling back Medicare Advantage offerings in the coming year.Learn more about our upcoming events in September:9/24 - Briefing: The Future of Telehealth and Its Impact on Primary Care (open to all)9/25 - Journal Club: Biosimilars and Their Impacts on Costs and Market Choices (Insider Exclusive)Related Articles:Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits: Origins, Evolution, And Issues For Policy Making (Health Affairs Forefront)Call For Forefront Submissions on Supplemental Benefits In Medicare AdvantageMedicare Advantage vendors brace for supplemental benefits cuts (Modern Healthcare)Cigna to cut Medicare Advantage plans in several states (Modern Healthcare)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Jessica Bylander to the program to discuss a recent health advisory issued by US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declaring parental stress as a public health challenge. They also discuss the Murthy's focus on social media and its impact on mental health.Learn more about our upcoming events in September:9/24 - Briefing: The Future of Telehealth and Its Impact on Primary Care (open to all)9/25 - Journal Club: Biosimilars and Their Impacts on Costs and Market Choices (Insider Exclusive)Sign up for our free newsletters to never miss an event, an article, podcast, or health policy brief.Related Articles:US Surgeon General Advisory on Parental Mental Health & Well-Being | HHS Press ReleaseSurgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms (The New York Times)Higher COVID-19 Vaccination and Narrower Disparities in US Cities with Paid Sick Leave Compared to Those Without (Health Affairs)State Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Associated With a Decline in Emergency Department Use in the US, 2011-19 (Health Affairs)High Job Flexibility and Paid Sick Leave Increase Health Care Access and Use Among US Workers (Health Affairs)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Chris Fleming to the program to discuss the latest hurdle to the FTC's attempt to ban noncompete agreements in employment contracts, and what the implications are for the health care industry.This week, Health Affairs released their September 2024 issue focusing on access to care, coverage, & more.Read the issue here and order your copy today!Health Affairs also published a new health policy brief from Paula Lantz and Emma Carter about the role of direct democracy in state policy making as it relates to the drivers of population health and health disparities.Related Articles:The FTC's Noncompete Rule: Legal Challenges And Potential Solutions For Physician Markets (Health Affairs Forefront)Judge strikes down FTC noncompete ban nationwide (Healthcare Dive)Fight over health noncompete pacts far from over (Axios)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Seth Berkowitz of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine to the program to discuss his recent book "Equal Care: Health Equity, Social Democracy, and the Egalitarian State," which offers a vision for the future of health equity by examining the social mechanisms that link injustice to poor health.Order the September 2024 issue of Health Affairs.Check out A Health Podyssey to hear further insights from authors featured in our journal.Learn more about Seth's book.Related Articles:Unconditional Cash Study (OpenResearch)Food Insecurity Was Associated With Greater Family Health Care Expenditures In The US, 2016–17 (Health Affairs)Unmet Social Needs And Worse Mental Health After Expiration Of COVID-19 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (Health Affairs)Food Insecurity, Missed Workdays, And Hospitalizations Among Working-Age US Adults With Diabetes (Health Affairs)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Ellen Bayer to the program to discuss the ongoing progress of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, how it's being implemented, and how we can best evaluate the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program.Health Affairs will be hosting a virtual Journal Club event on Tuesday, August 27, entitled "Coverage of Anti-Obesity Medicines Could Increase Medicare Spending By Billions" featuring author Benedic Ippolito discussing his recent paper on the topic.This event is exclusive to our Health Affairs Insiders. If you have yet to become an Insider, sign up today to stay up-to-date on what health care experts are thinking and talking about.Related Articles:Is It Working? Evaluating The First Round Of Medicare Drug Price Negotiations (Health Affairs)FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New, Lower Prices for First Ten Drugs Selected for Medicare Price Negotiation to Lower Costs for Millions of AmericansThe First-Ever Government Negotiation Process For Drugs Has Finished, But The Politics Are Ongoing (Health Affairs Forefront)FAQs about the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (KFF)Explaining the Prescription Drug Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act (KFF)