The fiscal 2025 budget will prioritize investments in rapid tests and antimicrobial drugs; women who were pregnant as teenagers are more likely to die before 31 years; leaders push for reform as part of spending bill for federal health agencies.
Ramping Up Biodefense Spending Amid Concerns Over Potential "Disease X" Threat
The Biden administration revealed a significant portion of its fiscal 2025 budget is allocated to enhance biodefense capabilities in response to the looming threat of a hypothetical yet potentially catastrophic "Disease X,” according to Axios. With lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, increased funding will be directed toward early warning systems, diagnostic technologies, and antimicrobial development to strengthen national health security against future pandemics. The 2025 defense budget will designate $42 million to improve early warning of novel and emerging pathogens, which include those that have been deliberately engineered.
Teen Pregnancy Associated With Premature Death, Study Finds
A recent study found that the younger a person was when they became pregnant, the greater their risk of premature death is, according to The New York Times. Women who had carried teen pregnancies to term and those who had miscarried were more likely to die before reaching 31 years, in addition to having an increased chance of dropping out of school and struggling with poverty. Additionally, researchers of this Canadian-based study suggested that this study confirms our intuitive knowledge that there may be an age that is indeed too young for pregnancy.
Bipartisan Effort in Senate Targets Pharmacy Benefit Managers to Tackle Prescription Drug Costs
Bipartisan efforts are expected to include prescription drug cost reform, specifically targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), in the upcoming spending bill for the Department of Labor and HHS, according to the Washington Examiner. The proposed legislation aims to enhance transparency, accountability, and competition within the pharmaceutical supply chain to lower drug prices and improve patient access to affordable medications. With support from industry stakeholders and recognition of the critical role of independent pharmacies in patient care, lawmakers are poised to prioritize patient well-being over corporate profits in their pursuit of meaningful health care reforms.
Study Highlights Significant Increases in Utilization, Spending on DMD Drugs in Medicaid
May 17th 2024The findings add to recent research on the growing utilization, expenditure, and prices of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) therapies in the current landscape, an area health care policy could potentially address.
Read More
Covering antiobesity medications like semaglutide could save Medicare around $500 million annually; preliminary CDC data showed a 3% decline in the number of US overdose deaths last year; the Biden administration recently announced the first national maternal mental health strategy.
Read More
Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity: Urban Health Outreach
May 9th 2024In the series debut episode of "Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity," Mary Sligh, CRNP, and Chelsea Chappars, of Allegheny Health Network, explain how the Urban Health Outreach program aims to improve health equity for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Listen
After the ACA Expanded Health Care Access, 2024 Elections May See Voters Demand Affordability
May 15th 2024At the spring conference of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, speakers discussed how health policy, affordability, and transparency may play a role in voters’ decisions.
Read More
Panel Addresses Minority Physician Shortage, Maternal Health at Senate Committee Hearing
May 15th 2024The senate hearing held by the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I, Vermont), chairman of the committee, and ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, (R, Louisiana), addressed the critical issue of physician and health care worker shortages, as well as the maternal health crisis, in the US.
Read More