What we're reading, December 6, 2016: Members of the GOP are unhappy with the leadership's plans for a 3-year repeal and replace of Obamacare; California bill would require superbugs be listed on death certificates; and Novo Nordisk promises to limit drug price hikes.
The House Freedom Caucus is unhappy with the GOP’s 3-year replacement plan for Obamacare and is ready to fight back. According to POLITICO, the Freedom Caucus members, who are Republicans, believe the Affordable Care Act (ACA) should be replaced within the 2-year period of the 115th Congress. However, GOP leadership seem to prefer a 3-year plan, which would give them time to create an adequate replacement. With Democrats expected to vote against any ACA repeal and replacement plans, the GOP will need the votes of the Freedom Caucus.
A California bill would require that antibiotic-resistant infections be listed on a death certificate if they played a role in the person’s death. Currently, deaths from infections are not publicly recorded, and only estimates are available. Under the bill, the information about infections and deaths would be reported to the public, but no hospital names would be included. California officials estimate that up to 9000 Californians die yearly from hospital-acquired infections.
Following Allergan’s example, Novo Nordisk has become the second drug manufacturer to promise to limit drug price increases. The company’s president said it would not raise any medicine’s list price by more than single-digit percentages, annually, reported STAT. Novo specializes in diabetes drugs, and President Jakob Riis cited the challenges patients with diabetes face affording healthcare and the medicines they need. Growing frustration with drug pricing and increased interest from Washington may explain why some drug companies are taking voluntary steps now.
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
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.
Read More