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This week in managed care, the top stories included proposals from CMS to shore up the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces, research that highlighted the link between duration of obesity and cancer risk for women, and the results of an FDA diabetes workshop.

The city of Baltimore has released a blueprint for reducing health disparities in the city by half over the next decade. The Healthy Baltimore 2020 plan outlines priorities to promote health and well-being.

What we're reading, September 5, 2016: Zika virus remains a global health emergency and worsens in Asia; the government provides "simple choice plan" options for 2017's open enrollment season; and how hospitals are improving the workplace.

Highlights of our peer-reviewed research in the healthcare and maintstream press.

The state-by-state obesity figures revealed huge health disparities. Obesity rates for whites reached 35% in just 2 states, while the rates reached 35% for blacks in 34 states and the District of Columbia, and 11 states for Hispanics.

Researchers at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center collated concerns of African American breast cancer survivors to find that medical mistrust was a commonly raised issue.

The American Journal of Managed Care recently published the findings of a 10-year initiative to improve the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective care. Here are 5 key takeaways from the research.

What we're reading, September 2, 2016: California taxpayers will cover 70% of the state's healthcare costs in 2016; President Barack Obama supports recommendations to reform the Veterans Affairs healthcare system; and California is close to criminalizing undercover stings against Planned Parenthood.

A diverse group of 1242 patients received diabetes self-management education either in-person or online and achieved lowered blood glucose and depression levels, had fewer symptoms of hypoglycemia, and exercised more.

Results of a new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation has found that international guidelines lack standardization on screening recommendations for solid organ transplant recipients.

Each year since 2011, beginning on the Friday of Independence Day weekend, the health information technology social media community is atwitter with nominations for thought leaders to include on the annual #HIT100 list.

Democratic lawmakers who signed a letter to Mylan this week say that the practice of offering coupons masks the high drug prices that are paid by commercial health plans. The practice is not allowed in Medicare or Medicaid.

Roche has announced that phase 3 results from the OAK study evaluating atezolizumab (Tecentriq) indicate improved overall survival compared with docetaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non—small cell lung cancer.

What we're reading, September 1, 2016: new, stronger warnings on opioid labels; why competition hasn't curbed drug price hikes; and Zika funding bill likely won't pass the Senate.

Since New Jersey's Republican governor shares power with a Democratic legislature, acceptance-if not full-throated support of Medicaid expansion-was not a surprise in 2013. But this week's event was seen by political observers as a sign Christie wants to be compared with Ohio's John Kasich.

A new report by the law firm Frier Levitt, commissioned by the Community Oncology Alliance, has found that restrictive tactics by pharmacy benefit managers, particularly in the specialty pharmacy arena, could restrict patient access to much needed medications.

A nationwide telemedicine diabetic screening program could help prevent diabetic retinopathy, the top cause of new-onset blindness in the United States.

Researchers and patients alike are increasingly interested in therapies that do more to limit the day-to-day, and hour-to-hour fluctuations in blood glucose that consume the time and energy of those living with diabetes.

While the majority of the adults infected with hepatitis C virus are baby boomers-people between the ages of 51 and 71 years-Alaska is seeing a large spike in infection rates among young adults.

What we're reading, August 31, 2016: 51% of Americans have a negative view of the pharmaceutical industry; the CDC is running out of funds to fight the Zika virus; and Pennsylvania chooses 3 private companies to manage Medicaid plans.

Erelzi, developed by Sandoz has been approved for use against a number of inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis.

The authors are among those concerned that patients with diabetes may be given more medication than they can tolerate or afford to achieve small improvements in A1C, without any other health benefits.

A new study on the racial differences in patient experience revealed black patients reported better experience than whites do, even though they were less likely to recommend hospitals.

Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are evaluating the depth of a trained radiologist’s eye to detect abnormalities on a mammogram, in an attempt to improve screening and earlier detection of disease.

What We're Reading, August 30, 2016: the Justice Department is investigating police treatment of the mentally ill; researchers identify overtreatment based on imaging procedures; and 2 drug compounds may prevent the Zika virus from replicating in the body.

CMS' new proposal to shore up the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces signals that federal officials have heard concerns that not enough has been done to prevent adverse selection or share risk for the sickest patients who gained coverage under the ACA.

A study found that the longer a woman is overweight or obese, the higher the risk of developing several forms of cancer, plus the degree of being overweight plays a role in the risk of developing cancer.

Researchers at Cancer Research UK have developed a strategy to make pancreatic cancer more responsive to chemotherapy and radiation.

In the August issue of Evidence-Based Oncology, The Samfund's Samantha Watson, MBA, and Michelle Landwehr, MPH, outline how young adult cancer survivors are disproportionately affected by treatment costs. This infographic breaks down the vicious cycle these patients get stuck in.