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New research from the Employee Benefit Research Institute has found that although there was some erosion in health insurance offered by employers after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the percentage of private-sector employers offering health benefits increased in 2017 for the first time since 2008.

Here are the top 5 articles for the month of August.

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

E-cigarette use in the United States is more prevalent in people who are younger, have comorbid conditions, or are former or current conventional cigarette smokers, according to results from a recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System national report.

Researchers evaluating the different methods used to predict the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) found that human–machine hybrid predictions led to better prognoses than did machine learning algorithms or groups of humans alone.

This week, the top managed care stories included encouraging results from the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization model; concerns that CMS' new billing rules will hurt the sickest patients; a study confirms the value of daily aspirin for patients with diabetes.

A study recently found that an immunotherapy combination treatment of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) shrank melanoma that had spread to the brain in more than half of participants.

It’s been more than 100 days since President Trump and HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced the “American Patients First” drug pricing blueprint. Here are 5 actions the government has taken since its release.

A judge tossed a lawsuit brought by pharmaceutical companies to block a California law requiring advance notice of big price increases; the FDA is testing all angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) over a discovered impurity that is linked to cancer; research in monkeys has suggested that an experimental painkiller is effective at easing pain without being addictive.

A survey of patients in the United Kingdom who were diagnosed with cancer found that patients with blood cancers were the least likely to say they completely understood what was wrong when the doctor explained it. They were also less likely to say that their treatment options were explained before treatment started compared with patients with other cancers.

Patient with chronic migraine were more likely to have aggression, anger, and hostility. Comorbid aggression may help to identify suicidality in migraine patients.

Targeted treatment interventions for populations with low levels of viral suppression, paired with tailored prevention packages, will be essential to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States, say researchers.

A look at the experiences of 2 leaders in cross-sector collaboration show how cross-sector data can guide the development of innovative initiatives to improve people’s lives.

A substantial number of prescribers did not regard nonselective beta blockers as contraindicated, suggesting the need for improvement programs that target the prescribers’ awareness and knowledge.

A study has shed new light into the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) and how fingolimod, an immunomodulator drug, affects EVs.

The expansion of Medicaid may mitigate health disparities in cancer diagnosis, according to a recent study that found state variation in reductions in the percentage of uninsured patients aged 18 to 64 years diagnosed with cancer. The researchers said that the results have implications for future disparities in state mortality rates, because health insurance coverage is linked to the ability to have better treatment and survival after diagnosis.

Illinois has passed a law allowing doctors in the state to prescribe marijuana as pain medication in a fight against the opioid epidemic; the FDA has told California that a cancer warning label for coffee is misleading; and the FDA is continuing its push against the illegal sale of opioids.

Hospital participants shared how they have utilized technology to enhance care for heart failure patients. Below are some highlights of these resources and initiatives.

The Senate has passed a spending bill with a bipartisan amendment, sponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, that will provide HHS with $1 million in funds to issue regulations on direct-to-consumer advertising. The regulations will require drug makers to include the prices of their products in direct-to-consumer advertisements.

Building on prior research drawing a link between migraine and fibromyalgia comorbidity, a new study has found that fibromyalgia exacerbates depressive symptoms, migraine intensity, and migraine-related disability.

More than half of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the BETASLEEP study indicated poor sleep quality, which was linked to fatigue and reduced quality of life over time.

The SARIL-RA-MONARCH trial has shown that sarilumab has greater impact on many patient-reported outcomes (PROs) than adalimumab does.

The analysis of patient records found no elevated risk of retinopathy among those using glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists to treat type 2 diabetes.

New York and Minnesota will receive lost federal funding for programs they created under the Affordable Care Act; the government has officially increased the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to 2975 people; after years of controlling the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the United States has seen the number increase 4 years in a row to a new record high in 2017.

Extramedullary hematopoiesis—the presence of hematopoietic activity in sites outside of the bone marrow—can occur in malignant and non-malignant hematologic diseases, and they may be a complication of primary myelofibrosis.

Over 200 patient and provider groups have written to CMS, saying that proposed consolidation of evaluation and management billing codes will adversely affect the sickest Medicare patients and the physicians that treat them.

In 2016, the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model generated a net savings of $62 million to Medicare, representing a 1.1% net reduction in Medicare spending. In a webcast with the Accountable Care Learning Collaborative, CMS Administrator Seema Verma called the results a strong start and offered a look at what's in the future for the model.

Only 1 day after the European Commission approved CAR T-cell therapies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence deemed the treatment too expensive to justify on Britain's state-funded health service.

Patients with HIV indicated a strong preference for “nice” over “rude” providers and a willingness to wait 19 hours more or travel 28 miles farther to see nice rather than rude providers.