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What We’re Reading: Gates Foundation Increases Vaccine Funding; Rising Cases in Nursing Homes; Finding Health Insurance
The Gates Foundation will add another $70 million of funding for vaccines and treatments against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); nursing homes see rising COVID-19 cases; finding health coverage for workers laid off due to the pandemic.
Gates Foundation Increases Funding for COVID-19 Vaccines
As reported by Reuters, the Gates Foundation announced today it will be adding another $70 million of funding to global efforts to develop and distribute vaccines and treatments against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Of the money pledged, $50 million will go to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) led by the Gavi vaccine alliance, with the remaining $20 million given to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. GAVI has said that it plans to secure 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021, of which almost 1 billion doses will be available to the 92 poorest countries through the AMC.
Pandemic Straining Nursing Homes Again
After 7 weeks of steady decline, COVID-19 cases in nursing homes rose by more than 40% from mid-September to October 25, with nursing home operators saying it’s nearly impossible to keep the virus contained while cases spike across communities nationwide. POLITICO reports that during each period of heightened community spread, cases have consistently increased in nursing homes. In Wisconsin, 112 long-term care facilities reported new COVID-19 outbreaks in the last week, a stark figure nearly double the prior week’s increase.
Finding Health Coverage for Workers Laid Off Due to COVID-19
An article published by Kaiser Health News spotlighted workers who lost their job and health insurance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is no official tally, studies indicate that at least 10 million workers have lost their health insurance, with almost two-thirds having subsequently found alternative coverage through a new job, Medicaid, or the marketplaces made available by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In California, almost 300,000 residents have enrolled in the state’s ACA marketplaces, while in New York, state officials and private groups have helped those unemployed with enrolling in state-supported programs.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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