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What We're Reading: Drug Deaths a Presidential Election Issue
What we're reading, November 4, 2015: drug deaths become the next big 2016 presidential campaign issue; and Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross receive large fines for misleading information about Affordable Care Act Plans.
Drug Abuse Next Big Presidential Issue
Jobs and the economy are becoming less of a priority for voters—drug deaths could be the new 2016 presidential election issue, according to Wall Street Journal. In New Hampshire, overdoses are on track to break last year’s record and voters ranked drug abuse as the most important issue in the 2016 presidential campaign. Across the US, drug overdoses account for more deaths than car accidents.
California Fines Plans for Misleading ACA Plan Information
Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross are being fined $350,000 and $250,000, respectively, for overstating their California physician networks in Affordable Care Act plans. In addition to needing to improve the accuracy of their directories, the plans must reimburse enrollees who may have been negatively affected by the misleading information, state regulators say.
Wellness Programs Incorporating Financial Help
Approximately half of all US employers are offering financial wellness programs because personal finances can affect employees’ health, reports NPR. Money problems cause stress that lead to bigger health insurance bills, and when a company begins a financial wellness program, it can reduce health costs and absenteeism.
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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