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What we're reading, April 6, 2016: the federal government could be doing more to alert uninsured individuals about their eligibility for subsidies; the White House will transfer leftover Ebola funds to combat the Zika virus; and Senate companion bill to 21st Century Cures Act is almost done.

In men with low-risk prostate cancer, hypofractionation is non-inferior than the standard treatment dose and has the potential for saving treatment costs, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The FDA has approved infliximab-dyyb as a biosimilar and not as an interchangeable biological.

Carrying weight around the midsection was associated with dysfunction of the left ventricle, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology.

People who enrolled in a Blue Cross Blue Shield health plan after enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have higher rates of disease and received significantly more medical care compared with those enrolled before the ACA was enacted.

STAMPEDE was one of the first studies to suggest that patients who did not meet the traditional criteria for bariatric surgery might be candidates for treatment of type 2 diabetes, not just obesity.

The study, commissioned by the Community Oncology Alliance, has found that overall costs for Medicare and commercial health plan enrollees have been increasing at the same rate as the cost of treating patients with cancer. This contradicts the popular notion that cancer care costs have far outpaced overall healthcare spending.

What we're reading: new rules from the Treasury Department could derail the Pfizer-Allergan merger; false medical beliefs could lead white medical students and residents to suggest inappropriate treatment for black patients; and while prescriptions were down, sales were up for the top 10 drugs in the US.

It is imperative that we gather more mature data on a much larger number of patients to accurately assess efficacy, safety, potential harms, durability of response, and impact on disease progression and overall survival of the new immunotherapy treatments.

In order to combat a projected budget gap of $3.8 billion, Connecticut state employees were provided the opportunity to enroll in a program using value-based insurance benefit design concepts.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who engage in greater amounts of physical activity in the 12 months prior to hospitalization for COPD have a lower risk of death in the year following discharge.

A new study by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research has found that visits by trained community health workers improved screening rates for breast cancer among Latino women.

National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week is April 4-8, 2016.

This week is the 4th annual Patient-Centered Diabetes Care (PCDC), co-hosted by The American Journal of Managed Care and Joslin Diabetes Center. Here we highlight the top 5 things to look forward to at this year’s meeting.

What we're reading: California will open Medi-Cal to all low-income children regardless of immigration status; Arizona governor signs bill to follow earlier FDA guidelines for abortion-inducing drug; and the loss of 2 Obamacare provisions could result in increased premiums in 2017.

Heart failure patients who have early follow-up with general medicine or cardiology providers within 7 days of discharge from the hospital had 19% had lower odds of readmission within 30 days.

Nearly half of patients at an urban primary care clinic affiliated with a large academic medical center had a diagnosed mental health problem.

This week, the top stories in managed care include CMS paying for diabetes prevention, coverage of the American College of Cardiology conference, and improving patient education of immunotherapy.

The National Pharmaceutical Council has released a set of guiding principles on specific elements that should be included in value assessment frameworks.

What we're reading, April 1, 2016: Federal Trade Commission files lawsuit to stop pay-to-delay deals; CMS' bundled payment initiative for joint replacement takes effect; and scientists confirm link between Zika virus and microcephaly.

Language in the proposed law runs counter to the explicit policy of the American Medical Association for care of the LGBT community.

According to IMS Health, increased penetration and acceptance of biosimilars in Europe and in the United States can result in $110 billion in total savings to the 2 healthcare systems.

Mayo Clinic's refusal to sign contracts with the 3 new Medicaid providers, and a 9-year-old with a brain tumor, have added drama in the days before the transition.

Researchers said the findings show the need for greater attention to treatments needs for younger patients with type 2 disease.

What we're reading, March 31, 2016: the FDA changed guidelines for the use of the abortion pill, which could expand access; meanwhile Donald Trump isolated himself by saying women seeking abortion should face punishment; and drug makers are paying less fines for bad behavior.

The percentage of doctors who are disciplined or pay a malpractice claim is 4 times less in some states than in others, according to a new study.

The current primary care provider workforce will not be able to meet the growing demands driven by recent healthcare reforms. What is the solution?

State newspapers have been sharply critical of Governor Matt Bevin's last-minute changes to the Benefind system, which was designed to work alongside Kynect to integrate benefits, not replace it to administer Medicaid.

The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco and the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence have developed a position statement recommending access to smoking cessation interventions for smokers in the high-risk group who undergo a lung cancer screen.