- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We're Reading: Stimulus Talks Stall; Kodak Loan on Hold; COVID-19 Unaffected by Seasonal Change
Federal money for state and local governments is a major obstacle in negotiations over the next coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relief package; Kodak's $765-million government loan to supply COVID-19 supplies is on hold; the World Health Organization says that COVID-19 does not appear to wane with the seasons.
Stimulus Talks Stall Over Federal Funding
According to The Hill, federal money for state and local governments has emerged as a major obstacle in negotiations between the White House and congressional Democrats over the next relief package to address ramifications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Prior to the collapse of talks last week, both sides were hundreds of billions apart in how much support states should receive, if any, with Democrats wanting $915 billion and Republicans offering only $150 billion, the same amount included in the CARES Act from late March.
Kodak’s $765M Government Loan on Hold
After granting a $765 million loan to Eastman Kodak Company 2 weeks ago to speed production of drugs in short supply and those critical to treat COVID-19, the US International Development Finance Corporation said the loan is now on hold due to pending probes into allegations of wrongdoing. Reported by Bloomberg, controversy surrounded the initial loan as corporate disclosures showed that Kodak board members had purchased additional shares before the announcement, with other analysts questioning whether the company could handle that level of large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing.
WHO Says COVID-19 Unaffected by Seasonal Change
Although a growing narrative has indicated that COVID-19 transmission would be stifled by the heat and humidity of summer, experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that the virus does not appear to wane with the passing of the seasons. Reported by The Hill, COVID-19 cases in states with traditionally very hot summers, including Texas and Arizona, have been on the rise regardless of the weather conditions. These rising case trends have also been observed in states with different climates, such as Hawaii and Illinois.
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.
Read More
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.
Listen
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.
Listen
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.
Read More
