Bipartisan ACA Stabilization Deal Has 24 Co-Sponsors
The bill presented by Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, and Patty Murray, D-Washington, to stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s insurance markets now has 24 co-sponsors. According to The Hill, 12 Democrats and 12 Republicans have signed on to the bill. The deal, which does not currently have support of the White House, would guarantee the insurer subsidies, which President Donald Trump recently cancelled, for 2 years and grant more flexibility to states. Alexander expects the bill to pass by the end of the year, but it is already facing opposition in the House.
Pollution Takes Huge Toll on Human Health
More than 9 million premature deaths in 2015 were caused by diseases driven by pollution. Poor and marginalized nations are disproportionately impacted by pollution, with more than 90% of pollution-related deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries, reported STAT. Pollution-related diseases account for 2% of health spending in wealthy nations and 7% in developing countries, and investments in addressing air pollution can produce savings for countries.
New Strain of Bird Flu Emerges
In China, a new strain of the H7N9 bird flu may be easily transmitted among animals. Reuters reported that the new strain might be able to trigger a global human pandemic. While the H7N9 virus has been in China since 2013, it recently split into 2 strains that are resistant to current vaccines. One of the strains is lethal to infected birds, and scientists determined that it spread easily among animals, likely transmitted by respiratory droplets caused by coughing or sneezing.
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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Integrated CKD Care Model Cuts ED Visits by 30%, Boosts Specialized Treatment
April 21st 2025An analysis of an interdisciplinary care model for managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) shows hospital admissions dropped by 26% and emergency department (ED) visits decreased by 30% after clinic initiation.
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