Rising Number of Latinos Diagnosed With Alzheimer’s Disease
By the year 2060, the number of Latinos in the United States with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to rise by more than 8 times. Alzheimer’s is increasingly common in the US, but Latinos represent the fastest growing minority, reported Kaiser Health News. This population is at least 50% more likely to develop the disease than whites, and they are more likely to have a family member care for someone with Alzheimer’s rather than place the person in a nursing home. But using formal care services is now becoming more common among Latinos.
Government Sues UnitedHealth Over Medicare Scheme
A lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group alleges that the insurer overcharged Medicare hundreds of millions of dollars. According to Reuters, the lawsuit, which was filed in 2011 but was just unsealed on February 16, claims the insurer depicted Medicare members as being sicker than they were. The Department of Justice has joined the lawsuit against UnitedHealth, as well as one against WellMed Medical Management, which UnitedHealth bought in 2011.
Evidence Shows Wearable Devices Don’t Result in Weight Loss
Wearable technology like Fitbit and Apple Watch, may be encouraging people to be more active, but they aren’t resulting in people losing more weight. In a column for The New York Times’ "The Upshot," Aaron E. Carroll, MD, MS, lays out the evidence from past trials that show people using wearable devices lose less weight than people not using these devices. These devices are good for improving activity over time, but not for losing weight.
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
Higher Weight-Adjusted Waist Index Tied to Greater Mortality Risk in Patients With Osteoarthritis
April 23rd 2025Researchers consider the weight-adjusted waist index a more precise predictor of mortality risk in patients with osteoarthritis than traditional obesity measures, like body mass index.
Read More
Varied Access: The Pharmacogenetic Testing Coverage Divide
February 18th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the February 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to uncover significant differences in coverage decisions for pharmacogenetic tests across major US health insurers.
Listen
What's at Stake as Oral Arguments Are Presented in the Braidwood Case? Q&A With Richard Hughes IV
April 21st 2025Richard Hughes IV, JD, MPH, spoke about the upcoming oral arguments to be presented to the Supreme Court regarding the Braidwood case, which would determine how preventive services are guaranteed insurance coverage.
Read More