AJMC Staff

News from our Strategic Alliance Partners.

Senators concerned over health care worker shortages; Medicaid beneficiaries left unaware of renewal deadline; Ohio to open health clinic after toxic train derailment.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

The Biden administration sends medical experts to the site of the derailed train carrying hazardous materials in Ohio; senators push for pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms; Kentucky Supreme Court proceeds with near-total abortion ban.

Social Security and Medicare spending could double by 2023; FDA panel experts want naloxone to be available over the counter after the drug information is revised; Moderna announced its COVID-19 vaccines will stay free, and the Biden administration might keep tests and treatments free for the uninsured.

Some communities will use COVID relief money to pay medical debt; residents living near train car derailment site in Ohio are worried about toxic chemical health effects; following medical guidelines point by point would create impossibly long workdays for providers, studies are pointing out.

Women of color have a longer journey to diagnosis for endometriosis and uterine fibroids, have fewer resources to access care, and receive different treatments than White women, said Linda D. Bradley, MD, of Cleveland Clinic.

By following FDA treatment guidelines, care for patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) is not typically affected by step therapy, quantity limits, or prior authorization, explained Jerry Bagel, MD, director of the Eczema Treatment Center of New Jersey.

HHS wants to require nursing homes to disclose more ownership and management information; privacy advocates warn that mental health data can legally be sold from certain platforms not covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; the FDA won’t review Soligenix’s cancer drug proposal because of an insufficient application.

This agreement enables the integration of data from Dexcom’s continuous glucose monitor (CGM) directly into DarioHealth's metabolic digital health tool, adding another layer of support.

Congress has no solution for out-of-network ambulance rides; teenagers going to an emergency department in a mental health crisis don't receive necessary follow-up care; Medicaid explores nutritional benefits of food as medicine spending in some states.

CDC recommends adults and children get routine COVID-19 shots; single dose of antibiotic during labor reduces risk of mothers developing sepsis; suicide rates increase after 2-year decline.

China’s angry reaction after spy balloon retrieval rouses drug supply chain anxiety; after allegedly overcharging California’s Medi-Cal program, managed care company Centene will pay millions in a settlement; major drug companies are chasing new pharma deals amidst dropping patent exclusivity.

Biden’s State of the Union (SOTU) address emphasized drug access for those on Medicare, the Cancer Moonshot, and more; HIV diagnoses are increasing in Washington, DC, from missed wellness visits and preventive visits upended during the start of COVID-19; California online women’s pharmacy The Pill Club will pay $18.3 million in Medicaid fraud settlement with California.

CVS Health Corp. is nearing a $10.5 billion deal to take on Oak Street Health Inc.; an innovative cystic fibrosis drug that can lengthen life expectancy for patients is blocked by high costs and unavailability in low-income countries; New York City will end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers.

Being able to treat patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a KRAS mutation with sotorasib has been exciting, and now there’s another drug available with the approval of adagrasib at the end of 2022, explained Lucio Gordan, MD, of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute.

A pediatric shot for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may not be covered as a free routine vaccine; hospitals fail to comply with payment transparency rules; the fate of abortion pills is in the hands of conservative judges

CDC warns against EzriCare Artificial Tears, which were recalled by the manufacturer; certain weight loss drugs not covered by most payers; Mississippi's Republican governor denies being privately in support of Medicaid expansion.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

Merck & Co. and Eli Lilly & Co. report sales loss for COVID-19 treatments; Republican state attorneys general tell CVS and Walgreens that mailing mifepristone might break the law; exposure to air pollution over time is associated with a rise in incidence of depression and anxiety.

Pharmaceutical companies will not refund prepayments made by global organization Gavi for COVID-19 vaccines it no longer needs; following the countrywide baby formula shortage of 2022, the FDA looks to consolidate food division leadership; a province in Canada starts a 3-year drug decriminalization program to try to reduce drug overdose deaths.

The government is allowing Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to delay returning hundreds of millions of dollars or more in government overpayments; a proposed new extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) might make birth control coverage more accessible for certain private insurance plans; a study found that students lost around 33% of their school year because of the pandemic’s educational barriers and are struggling to regain that lost time.

A new study estimated Medicare drug price negotiation savings; food benefits provided under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will return to prepandemic amounts; pharmacies reduce hours to cope with staffing shortages, improve work-life balance.

The newest treatment option for endometriosis has benefits over the previous ones available, but there remains a need for a fertility-friendly option, said Ayman Al-Hendy, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago Medicine.

The FDA is relaxing some time-based deferrals for donating blood; new guidance aims to streamline the COVID-19 vaccination process; Congress has been called on to solidify cannabidiol (CBD) regulations.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

Affordable Care Act health care sign-ups are breaking records; updated COVID-19 boosters are proving successful against new variants; GenBioPro, which manufactures mifepristone, has filed suit regarding the constitutionality of a state abortion drug ban.

After 3 years of continuous enrollment due to the pandemic, those on Medicaid will need to sign up again for coverage in April; fears about heavy metal levels in baby food prompt FDA to decrease lead exposure; long COVID is keeping large numbers of people out of work or needing medical care after returning.

Eli Lilly will tack on $450 million more to increase capacity in a diabetes drug plant in light of shortages; patients emailing and messaging medical providers online might be charged; 57% of adults in a recent survey think that the federal government should secure health care coverage for all Americans.

States in which recreational cannabis is legal see declining codeine prescriptions; the FDA plans to simplify the use of COVID-19 vaccines; state-wide abortion debates ramp up as Congress deadlocks