AJMC Staff

Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment was stable in most places despite turmoil; National Institutes of Health research, opioid, and mental health funding see gains in budget deal, but ACA stabilization plan is missing.

The House's stopgap spending bill includes Medicare extenders; 40 patient advocacy groups oppose the right-to-try legislation that President Donald Trump is supporting; new research finds fetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol-related disorders may be more common than previously thought.

Tennessee will implement a 2-year pilot to improve medication adherence and effectiveness for Medicaid beneficiaries; implementing work requirements in Virginia's Medicaid program could cost $100 million by the second year, according to an analysis; the Flint water crisis has officially been linked to a Legionnaires outbreak that took place in 2014 and 2015.

At least 9 states are considering their own health insurance mandates now that Congress has repealed that of the Affordable Care Act; a senator is calling on the United States to invest $1 billion into developing a universal flu vaccine; physicians believe proposed Florida legislation may be too tough on opioid prescriptions.

The flu vaccine is just 17% effective against the current virus; Indiana dropped 25,000 people from its Medicaid program for not paying premiums; the CDC is cutting back on efforts to prevent infectious disease outbreaks in other countries as funding runs out.

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Democrats push for a Medicaid buy-in option in New Mexico; half of the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan aren't receiving the mental health care they need; Utah moves forward with 2 bills related to medical marijuana.

Four telehealth bills could be signed into law over the next year by Congress; President Donald Trump mentioned "right-to-try" legislation in a favorable light in his State of the Union speech; the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold legislation hearings on the opioid crisis February 26.

Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan Chase & Co are partnering to deliver healthcare in a new way to their employees; a fitness app accidentally revealed the locations of military bases and personnel through a global heat map; a bill that would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy fell short of the 60 votes needed in the Senate.

Majority of Americans don't know the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate was repealed or are unsure; health providers and anti-abuse agencies are collaborating to better care for victims of domestic abuse; preventive care doesn't reduce overall costs, but it does improve quality of life.

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FDA panel rejects claim that smokeless cigarettes result in less harm and disease; big data might be able to shed light on the health effects of weight gain; healthcare is not a key issue among voters in battleground states.

Analysis finds ties between pharmaceutical industry and federal government are deepening; Mississippi readies a Medicaid work requirement waiver; research identifies danger of interactions between herbal supplements and prescription medications.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is allowing more health practitioners prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid addiction; a public health review found mixed results on the outcome of using e-cigarettes based on age; a new index has graded pharmaceutical companies on how well they are fighting against the spread of superbugs.

Respimat from Boehringer Ingelheim is now the first and only inhaler to be awarded the Ease of Use Commendation by the Arthritis Foundation. This award identifies products that make life easier for people with arthritis and other physical limitations.

Kentucky may require Medicaid patients who lose coverage to pass a health literacy test; new tax law encourages companies to offer paid family and medical leave with tax credit; biopharma leaders head to Davos to share ideas.

Flu season may have peaked with a hospitalization rate reaching 31.5 per 100,000 people; Wisconsin's Republican governor now seeks to stabilize the state's Affordable Care Act marketplace; the Trump administration revokes protection for Planned Parenthood funding.

House passes spending bill that includes funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program for 6 years; researchers work on an experimental blood test that could detect 8 cancers; President Donald Trump plans to slash the budget of the Office of National Drug Control Policy by as much as 95%.

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HHS proposes allowing healthcare providers to decline performing services based on moral or religious objections; HHS secretary nominee will advance to full Senate vote; a government shutdown could have long-lasting public health effects.

A study finds that protein markers may be a better predictor of drug response than genetic mutation are in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). As a result, some patients who could benefit from treatment may not be eligible under current approval specifications.

Wal-Mart is providing customers with a way to safely dispose of unused opioids; Kentucky's governor signs a bill to protect his Medicaid overhaul; Maryland coalition aims to ban price gouging for specialty and brand-name drugs.

The language used by doctors contributes to why patients don't understand what they are told; the number of American adults without health insurance grew 1.3 percentage points from the end of 2016 to the end of 2017; women are increasingly faced with the decision between 2D and 3D mammograms.

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.