What We're Reading: Republicans Reignite Insurance Bailout Debate
What we're reading, October 21, 2015: influential Republican's on health committees oppose the Affordable Care Act's reinsurance program for insurers; shareholder's of Aetna say yes to the company's merger with Humana; and the genetic testing company will once again start sharing health information with consumers.
What We're Reading: Duke University's New Health Policy Center
What we're reading, October 20, 2015: Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, will lead Duke's Center for Health Policy; the eligible uninsured will face higher fines in 2016; and Canadian researchers use digital media to improve quality and care outcomes.
What We're Reading: Clinton Campaign Benefits From Pharma Donations
What we're reading October 19, 2015: Clinton campaign leads rivals in pharma donations, lawmakers in North Carolina open to provider-led organizations and managed care, big surge in Medicare spending on hepatitis C drugs.
What We're Reading: Orphan Drugs in 340B and the Hospital "Weekend Effect"
What we're reading, October 16, 2015: judge rules orphan drugs do not need to be sold at discount under 340B, hospitals can use resources at their disposal to overcome the "weekend effect," and AstraZeneca's diabetes combination drug fails to win FDA approval.
What We're Reading: Biosimilar Reimbursement and Scrutinizing Drug Pricing
What we're reading, October 15, 2015: federal prosecutors subpoena Valeant Pharmaceuticals over how the company prices drugs, Atul Gawande, MD, makes the case for better coordinated care, and proposed biosimilar reimbursement sparks outrage.
What We're Reading: Replacing the ACA and Opioid Addiction Treatment
What we're reading, October 14, 2015: Jeb Bush offers a detailed proposal for his plan to replace parts of the Affordable Care Act, California places a cap on out-of-pocket costs for consumers, and people addicted to opioids can't get the treatment they need.
What We're Reading: Presidential Campaigns and the Cost of Medicine
What we're reading on October 13, 2015: presidential hopeful Marco Rubio taps health policy expert Avik Roy to advise his campaign, Democrats will tangle over healthcare in first debate, and the US pays 3 times as much for medicine as Britain.
What We're Reading: Health Insurance Coverage and Unecessary Procedures
What we're reading on October 12, 2015: health insurance marketplaces may have challenges keeping customers they already have, but in California, consumers leaving the state insurance exchange are gaining coverage elsewhere, and the government is increasingly pursuing cases of potentially unnecessary procedures.
Obamacare Increased Collections, Decreased Visit Volume
Coverage expansions resulting from the Affordable Care Act have not had a negative financial effect on medical practices. Instead, primary care physicians reported increased collections and decreased visit volume, according to athenahealth