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What we're reading, September 7, 2016: Allergan vows to limit drug price hikes; Senate votes again to block Zika funding bill; and CMS will institute a new process to screen people signing up for Obamacare coverage during special enrollment periods.

The FDA has accepted for priority review the supplemental Biologics License Application for Merck's pembrolizumab (Keytruda).

Pediatricians are advised to not simply focus on weight loss, but also to examine behaviors. Too rapid weight loss could be a sign of trouble and dieting in young teens often leads to being overweight later.

WalletHub recently analyzed the impact of the America’s geography on healthcare quality and costs and ranked the states based on which had the best state healthcare systems.

A report released by a group of sickle cell disease (SCD) stakeholders, including the American Society of Hematology, aims to identify unmet medical needs for those diagnosed with SCD to improve their quality of life.

The poll, which the Kaiser Family Foundation has done at intervals since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, once again found Americans divided on how they felt about the healthcare law.

What we're reading, September 6, 2016: state prescription databases play a role in fighting the opioid epidemic; experimenting with transition models to reduce gaps in care; and how electronic health records slow down doctors.

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has metastasized to the brain can do without whole-brain radiotherapy, according to a new study published in the journal Lancet.

Despite the introduction of interventions to address disparities in healthcare access and quality, racial/ethnic minority groups, rural residents, and adults with low incomes continue to experience suboptimal access to and quality of healthcare in the United States.

Health disparities in the United States persist, and may even be increasing, despite improvements in medical care and disease prevention. However, an analysis of interventions focusing on social determinants of health shows that population health can be improved and social disparities reduced.

Although many more women have health insurance now than before the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, gaps in women’s health coverage persist, leaving them vulnerable to higher costs and denied claims.

Non-Hispanic blacks are less likely to receive opioid prescription at discharge during emergency room visits for back pain and abdominal pain compared with non-Hispanic whites, researchers found.

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.