- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We're Reading: Importing Drugs From Canada; House Passes VA Bill; Opioid Withdrawal Treatment
A new law in Vermont would allow the state to import drugs from Canada, but it needs to be certified by HHS; the House passes a bill to expand veterans' access to private care; the FDA has approved the first nonopioid to treat opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Vermont Wants to Import Drugs From Canada
A new law in Vermont would allow the state to import drugs from Canada. However, the law, signed by Governor Phil Scott, needs to be certified by HHS, according to Reuters. HHS has not indicated a willingness to allow such a move. HHS Secretary Alex Azar has explained that Canada has a limited supply of drugs and would not have enough to sell them to the United States.
House Votes to Expand Veterans’ Access to Private Care
A bill that would allow veterans to receive care from a private physician if a government-run center can’t provide the care has passed the House by a vote of 347-70. The program would be implemented next year and would fulfill the president’s promise to expand veterans’ access to private care, reported AP. The bill has the support of nearly 40 organizations and could be expanded based on veterans’ demand and if care in the Veterans Affairs health system is deemed inadequate. The bill is now going to the Senate.
FDA Approves Nonopioid Treatment for Opioid Withdrawal
Lofexidine hydrochloride (Lucemyra) has been approved to help adults manage the symptoms of opioid withdrawal, marking the first FDA-approved nonopioid treatment in the area. According to The Wall Street Journal, the treatment isn’t specifically designed to treat opioid addiction, but it releases norepinephrine, which is believed to play a role in withdrawal symptoms. The drug may lessen the severity of symptoms but may not prevent them completely. The drug is approved for treatment up to 14 days.
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.
Read More
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
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.
Read More
