Drug Costs Take Up More Healthcare Spending, Both Nationally and on Personal Level
December 14th 2015The year 2014 was critical in the trajectory of prescription drug costs, as many therapies came off patent and health plans took steps to insulate themselves from the effects of the Affordable Care Act.
Now That ACOs Are Engaged, What About Those Patients?
December 14th 2015New goals from CMS and a new law, MACRA, will bring more change in 2016. But patients remain the same-even with new technology and electronic medical records, getting them to invest in their own care takes patience, as attendees discussed at the ACO and Emerging Healthcare Delivery Coalition fall meeting in Palm Harbor, Florida.
In New Jersey, Failure to Keep Pace With ACA Leaves a Vacuum, and a Political Mess
December 3rd 2015Another hearing on Horizon BCBS of New Jersey's OMNIA plan reveals how the Christie Administration's failure to keep pace with a changing healthcare market left regulators ill-equipped to address a far-reaching plan that has upset urban mayors, legislators, and safety net hospitals.
On World AIDS Day, the Evidence for Prevention With Anti-Retroviral Therapy Is Powerful
December 1st 2015Anthony S. Fauci, MD, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, co-authors an article that calls for broader use of ART to bring about the end of AIDS, more than 30 years after the dawn of the pandemic.
Horizon's OMNIA Could Change Maternity Patterns in New Jersey
November 30th 2015Two separate lawsuits have challenged the health insurance plan, which seeks to give some hospitals lower reimbursements in exchange for directing large numbers of patients their way. After business hours, the attorney for a group of hospitals said regulators declined to stay their approval of the tiered network.
Two Studies Say Low-Fat Diets Don't Work, Amid Wrangling Over Dietary Guidelines
November 26th 2015The weeks leading up to the release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have seen a series of reports on what kinds of diets work and attacks on the work that went into the report that informs the nation's nutrition policy.
At Thanksgiving, Take Time to Collect Family Medical History
November 25th 2015Waiting until there's a cancer diagnosis or other crisis is not the time to be taking the family's medical history. Testing companies and genetic counselors encourage families to share information when they are all in one place.