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What We're Reading: Considering an Association Health Plan; Health After Childhood Cancer; Denying a Prescription
A look at what considerations small businesses need to weigh before buying insurance through an association health plan; a new survey of adult survivors of childhood cancer found that they are less concerned about their future health than their siblings; the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy is looking into a case in which a woman prescribed a drug to end her pregnancy was denied it by the pharmacist.
Delving Into the Details of Buying Insurance Through Association Health Plans
Small business owners who are now able to buy insurance through an association health plan will have a number of considerations to take into account. Kaiser Health News (KHN) broke down some of the most pressing questions people considering association health plans might have—for instance, how pre-existing conditions are handled by the new association health plan rule and which protections under the Affordable Care Act still apply to association health plans. In addition, KHN took a look at what options workers have if their employer offers a skimpy health plan.
Survivors of Childhood Cancer Are Less Concerned About Their Health
A new survey of adult survivors of childhood cancer found that they are less concerned about their future health than their siblings. However, these cancer survivors are almost 3 times more likely to have at least 1 serious chronic health problem. Reuters Health also reported that the same proportion of survivors and siblings were unconcerned about developing cancer in the future. The study authors did note that the siblings—having seen their brother or sister battle cancer—might have a different perspective on health than the general public.
State Board Investigates Claim of Woman Denied Prescribed Miscarriage Drug
A woman who received a prescription to end her pregnancy after her baby stopped developing was denied her medication by a pharmacist. Arizona allows pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions based on moral grounds, but the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy is investigating the woman’s complaint, reported The Associated Press. There are 5 other states with similar laws, and the National Women’s Law Center said it is unclear how many women are affected by these laws.
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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