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What We're Reading: Smokers Will Not Be Covered for Screenings
What we're reading, February 11, 2016: Plaintiffs lose their case against cigarette manufacturer; the politics behind providing care for those infected with Zika; and of course, prescription drug prices.
Longtime smokers of Marlboro cigarettes have lost their liability fight against the cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, a jury unanimously rejected a claim filed 10 years back that Marlboros are defective and dangerous. If they had won, the plaintiffs would have been eligible to receive screening chest scans estimated to cost $500.
Meanwhile, as the Zika virus continues its rampage in Latin America, the CDC believes Puerto Rico might be hit hard by the outbreak along with some other US territories. According to Reuters, CDC director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, shared the information with the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee. Republican lawmakers who led the hearing, meanwhile, played abortion politics saying they hoped that infected women will not have abortions to avoid giving birth to children with developmental problems.
At another hearing on the Hill, HHS secretary Silvia Mathews Burwell was up defending the president’s budget—she told lawmakers that the administrations is delving into every option that can help control prescription drug prices. Burwell responded to Senator Jim McDermott’s (D-Washington) statement of support for Medicare to be able to negotiate prescription drug prices, saying that prescription prices are an increasing part of the Medicare budget and Veterans Administration has successfully negotiated lower prices.
Hospital Participation in Medicare ACOs: No Change in Admission Practices and Spending
August 19th 2025Hospital accountable care organization (ACO) participation did not impact emergency department admission rates, length of stay, or costs, suggesting limited effectiveness in reducing spending for unplanned admissions and challenging hospital-led ACO cost-saving strategies.
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Laundromats as a New Frontier in Community Health, Medicaid Outreach
May 29th 2025Lindsey Leininger, PhD, and Allister Chang, MPA, highlight the potential of laundromats as accessible, community-based settings to support Medicaid outreach, foster trust, and connect families with essential health and social services.
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Care Quality Metrics in Medicare During COVID-19 Pandemic
August 12th 2025Medicare Advantage outperformed traditional Medicare on clinical quality measures before and during the COVID-19 pandemic; mid-pandemic, however, traditional Medicare narrowed the gap on some in-person screenings.
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