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What We're Reading: Relief Package Talks Stagnant; Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Prices; International Travel Warning Rescinded
Negotiations on a new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relief package are reportedly on the brink of failure; as more than 100 COVID-19 vaccine candidates continue to be examined in clinical trials, some hints on pricing have emerged; the Trump administration removed its warnings on all international travel to Americans amid COVID-19.
Talks on New COVID-19 Relief Package Stagnant
As US weekly jobless claims reached an all-time high at 1.186 million amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, negotiations between the White House and Democratic congressional leaders on a new COVID-19 relief package were reported to be on the brink of failure. According to POLITICO, the lack of progress in the high-level talks may spur action from President Donald Trump, who said he would issue a series of executive orders to tackle the economic crisis if no deal can be reached. According to senior administration officials, Trump could issue these orders as early as today.
Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Prices
As more than 100 COVID-19 vaccine candidates continue to be examined in clinical trials, some hints on pricing have emerged among those leading in progress, according to NPR. Moderna, whose vaccine known as mRNA-1273 is now in a phase 3 clinical trial, has already made deals at between $32 and $37 per dose with some foreign countries. This has eased some concern among consumer advocates that US taxpayers may not reach fair deals, as Moderna said these indicated prices reflected agreements for smaller volumes and the price would decrease for larger-volume agreements. However, some advocates are still worried, as the US government has invested millions of dollars in developing the vaccine.
“Do Not Travel” COVID-19 Warning Rescinded by Trump Administration
Yesterday, the Trump administration removed its warning against all international travel to Americans amid COVID-19, saying conditions no longer warrant a worldwide alert. As reported by The Associated Press, the State Department’s decision to lift its level 4 health advisory worldwide came shortly after the CDC revised its COVID-19 travel advisory information to focus on 20 countries of concern. Similar to the CDC, the State Department will now issue country-specific warnings, which can be accessed here.
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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