AJMC Staff

Why healthy adults should still get the flu vaccine; President Donald Trump undergoes first medical checkup of his presidency; review of Luxturna finds the $850,000 gene therapy needs a price discount.

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In a lawsuit, customers allege that Centene did not provide adequate access to doctors and misrepresented coverage; a study finds the abortion pill is as safe and effective as getting the procedure in the clinic; New Hampshire considers a bill that would allow pharmacists to dispense birth control pills.

Trump administration freezes a national database on behavioral health interventions; number of alcohol-related emergency department visits rose sharply from 2006 to 2014; and study examines the feasibility of implementing a federal tax on junk food and sugary beverages.

Three hospital groups are appealing a ruling that dismissed a lawsuit challenging the new cuts to the 340B program; report finds poor oversight of data repository resulted in $36.7 billion in payment errors in 2017; a new executive order will expand mental health care for new veterans.

Despite recent setbacks, drug makers and investors are still optimistic about finding an Alzheimer disease treatment; the United States' already moderately severe flu season could get worse; a charity that assists patients with out-of-pocket drug costs is suing the government over communication restrictions with drug donors.

CDC to hold workshop that prepares for a public health response to a nuclear detonation; hospitals face shortage of intravenous bags after Hurricane Maria damages production in Puerto Rico; Idaho's governor signs executive order to loosen the Affordable Care Act's rules on health coverage requirements.

A subset of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with highly expressed CD49d have poorer outcomes while on Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib, which antagonizes B-cell receptor (BCR) signals. However, a team of researchers may have found a way to treat these patients.

New legislation in California would aim to curb opioid addiction; increasing number of generics are causing medicines to be more affordable; healthcarey company focused on serving low-income urban residents receives first round funding.

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Credit rater predicts Obamacare insurers will have a relatively stable 2018; Buffalo, New York, has the country's first opioid court aimed at saving lives; ambulance rides are down in cities with Uber.

New vision loss gene therapy gets a price tag below the expected $1 million mark; new evidence finds that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders has plateaued; hospitals are ill-equipped to care for dementia patients, but a new effort could change that.

FDA approved 46 drugs in 2017, a 21-year high; pilot program tests using home care to reduce emergency department visits; a look at how increasing prices, not increased use of services, has caused American healthcare spending to grow so much faster than peer nations.

Management of pediatric oncology patients with febrile neutropenia and hospitalization duration currently vary by institution and by provider. A poster presented at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting reviewed pediatric hematology/oncology patients who were admitted with febrile neutropenia to determine discharge and release, as well as subsequent readmission within the next 4 days.

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Rhode Island and Vermont consider state-level individual insurance mandates; Utahns support full Medicaid expansion; CMS approves a first-of-its-kind 10-year Medicaid waiver for Mississippi.

Poll finds one-third of Americans believe the Affordable Care Act has been repealed; enrollees in Obamacare coverage largely come from states that voted for President Donald Trump; 2 trials find Zika vaccines are safe and effective.

In the last 4 years, the number of drug ads seen on TV has increased 65%; Kmart settled a prescription drug case over allegations it was being overpaid by the government; understanding the term "evidence-based" and how critics and supporters view it.

More than 700 hospitals were penalized for having the highest rates of patient injuries; the Physician-focused Payment Technical Advisory Committee backed 2 new alternative payment models; and experts outline the biggest challenges of implementing and maintaining electronic health records going into the new year.

The FDA has removed a boxed warning on medicines delivering a combinations of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and long-acting beta agonists (LABA) drugs.

Key drug approvals; alcohol cancer link.

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Older patients are often subjected to unnecessary screening; older people who eat more leafy greens have slower cognitive decline; a look at some ways to reduce wasteful spending in healthcare.

Arizona submitted a waiver to impose work requirements and a lifetime limit for able-bodied people on the Medicaid program; Congress will tackle long-term funding for the Children's Health Insurance Plan in 2018; the opioid epidemic escalated in 2016.

Republicans pass tax bill and repeal the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate; potential healthcare mergers and deals pick up in December; millions of dollars paid out to combat the national conversation around rising drug prices.

The FDA plans to crackdown on alternative remedies; Senator Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, says his Obamacare insurer fix will be in the government funding bill; Alabama prepares to drop coverage for 7000 children.

Some states are considering implementing their own Obamacare individual mandates; a federal judge blocks a rule making it easier for employers to opt out of contraceptive coverage; Senator John McCain, R-Arizona, will miss tax bill vote, but the GOP should have enough votes.

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