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What We're Reading: More Kids Are Uninsured; CVS–Aetna Deal Closes; Mental Health Treatment in Prison
For the first time in a decade, the number of children without health insurance rose; CVS Health has officially acquired Aetna after New York and New Jersey provided the last 2 state approvals necessary for the merger to occur; although the Federal Bureau of Prisons has imposed a policy to provide better care and oversight for inmates with mental health issues, a new report has found that treatment has not been expanded.
Uninsured Rate for Kids Rose
For the first time in a decade, the number of children without health insurance rose, climbing from 4.7% in 2017 to 5%. According to Kaiser Health News, the jump is striking since the uninsured rate tends to remain stable or drop during times of economic growth, and the US unemployment rate is at its lowest level since 1969. Child health advocates point to recent policy changes by the Trump administration and the Republican-led Congress. While the proportion of children with employer-sponsored coverage rose slightly, more children dropped coverage through Medicaid or Affordable Care Act plans.
CVS and Aetna Make It Official
CVS Health has officially acquired Aetna after New York and New Jersey provided the last 2 state approvals necessary for the merger to occur. The Department of Justice gave preliminary approval for the deal to take place once Aetna had divested its Medicare Part D plan business to WellCare Health Plans, reported Forbes. The divestiture is expected to be finalized within a few business days. The full review process for the deal lasted nearly a year.
Failure of Mental Health Treatment in Federal Prisons
Although the Federal Bureau of Prisons has imposed a policy to provide better care and oversight for inmates with mental health issues, a new report has found that treatment has not been expanded. Only 3% of inmates in federal prisons were classified as having mental illnesses serious enough for regular treatment, which is far below the rate in state prisons, according to The Washington Post. Compared with the federal prison rate, 30% of inmates in California state prisons, 21% in New York, and 20% in Texas are receiving care for mental health disorders. Since the new policy took effect, mental health staffing at federal prisons has not increased.
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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