Health Affairs This Week

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Behind The Pages: Tackling Structural Racism In Health Oct 06, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Delivered weekly from David Lim, Semafor Healthcare connects the dots between decisions in government, business, and technology to reveal how they impact the future of healthcare. Each edition will provide the analysis you need to understand and stay ahead of a rapidly changing landscape. Subscribe for free.

Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Ellen Bayer explore the new October issue focusing on Structural Racism In Health. Their conversation provides insight into unique online features exclusive to this issue as well as highlighting a number of the journal articles featured.

Health Affairs would like to thank Gilbert Gee of the University of California Los Angeles and Ruqaiijah Yearby of Ohio State University, who served as theme issue advisers.

Health Affairs would also like to thank the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, and the Episcopal Health Foundation for their financial support of this issue.

Order the October 2023 Health Affairs Tackling Structural Racism In Health theme issue!

The Impact of Medicaid Unwinding on Children's Health Sep 29, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Marianne Amoss and Rob Lott explore the impact of Medicaid unwinding on children's health.

Read Milkie Vu's article from the upcoming "Tackling Structural Racism in Health" issue.

Related Link:

We cut child poverty to historic lows, then let it rebound faster than ever before (Vox)
Federal Health Policy Requires Child Health Investment Focus (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicaid (KFF)
Racism and Health Resource Page (Health Affairs)

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Can the All-Payer Model Get AHEAD with New CMS Opp? Sep 15, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Rob Lott break down CMS's new funding opportunity for states to create an all-payer model.

Listen to the second Research and Justice For All episode, sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Link:

Three Outstanding Questions About CMS's Ambitious New AHEAD Model (Health Affairs Forefront)
Maryland Hospital All-Payer Model: Can It Be Emulated? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Maryland's All-Payer Model - Achievements, Challenges, and Next Steps (Health Affairs Forefront)
Hospital Rate Setting: Successful in Maryland but Challenging to Replicate (Healthcare Value Hub)

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Audit of Nursing Home Staffing Standards in Progress by Biden Administration Sep 08, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Michael Gerber and Chris Fleming discuss the Biden administration's proposal to increase minimum staffing levels at nursing homes.

Listen to the first Research and Justice For All episode, sponsored by CVS Health.

Related Link:

HHS Proposes Minimum Staffing Standards to Enhance Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes (CMS)
High Nursing Staff Turnover In Nursing Homes Offers Important Quality Information (Health Affairs)
President Biden: Nursing homes are putting residents at risk. We're ending the abuse today. (USA Today)
Federal Officials Propose New Nursing Home Standards To Increase Staffing (New York Times)

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CMS Enters the Octagon, Names 10 Drugs for Price Negotiation Sep 01, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Rob Lott and Chris Fleming discuss Biden administration's announcement regarding the first 10 drugs selected for Medicare price negotiation.

Listen to the Research and Justice For All trailer.

Related Link:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces First Ten Drugs Selected for Medicare Price Negotiation
A Deep Dive Into Takings Clause Challenges to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicare Drug Price Negotiations: A Principles-Based Guide for CMS (Health Affairs Forefront)

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A Shifting PBM Landscape? Aug 25, 2023

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Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Kathleen Haddad discuss the shifting pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) landscape in the wake of Blue Shield of California's decision to shift some of its pharmacy business to new companies.

Read the ahead-of-print article, "The Forgotten Middle: Worsening Health and Economic Trends Extend to Americans with Modest Resources Nearing Retirement."

Related Links:

Blue Shield of California Press Release

The Long and Winding Road of Regulating Laboratory Developed Tests w/ Catherine Sharkey Aug 18, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Marianne Amoss interviews Catherine Sharkey from NYU School of Law to discuss regulations and patient safety regarding laboratory developed tests (LDT).

View Health Affairs' current Request for Abstracts.

Related Links:

To Protect Patients And Spark Innovation, Codify The FDA’s Oversight Of Laboratory-Developed Tests (Health Affairs Forefront)
F.D.A. Warns Patients About Some Prenatal Genetic Tests (New York Times)
F.D.A. Wants to Regulate Prenatal Tests That Have Misled Parents (New York Times)
Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: The FDA's Dual Role as Safety and Health Information Regulator (DePaul Law Review)
Regulatory and Medical Aspects of DTC Genetic Testing (Consumer Genetic Technologies: Ethical and Legal Considerations)

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FDA Comes Under Scrutiny Aug 11, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Michael Gerber and Rob Lott discuss the latest developments at the FDA, including the first oral treatment for postpartum depression, the Accelerated Approval Program, and the agency being namechecked on the GOP presidential campaign trail.

Related Links:

Create An Economic Incentive For The Timely Completion Of Confirmatory Trials (Health Affairs Forefront)
The Conundrum Of Patient Access To Therapeutic Medical Devices (Health Affairs Forefront)
FDA Approves First Oral Treatment for Postpartum Depression
Request For Abstracts - Reimagining Public Health
Request For Abstracts - Perinatal Mental Health

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Biden Administration Continues Antitrust Crusade With New Merger Guidelines Jul 28, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Kathleen Haddad discuss the recently-released merger guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission and its potential impacts on the health care industry.

Read the CVS Health-sponsored series "Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity."

Related Links:

Biden Declares War on the Cult of Efficiency (The Atlantic)
Who Pays for Health Care Costs? The Effects of Health Care Prices on Wages (SSRN)
Access, Quality, and Financial Performance of Rural Hospitals Following Health System Affiliation (Health Affairs)

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Health Equity - Summer 2023 Edition Jul 21, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Listen to Health Affairs' Ryann Tanap and Vabren Watts discuss what policies and news developments have been shaping the health equity landscape this summer. They discuss the proliferation of LGBTQIA+ policies, affirmative action, Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Month and the one-year anniversary of 988, the suicide and crisis hotline.

Read the "You're A Health Policy Wonk If..." submissions.

Read the new Ahead-of-Print article, "Early OxyContin Marketing Linked To Long-Term Spread Of Infectious Diseases Associated With Injection Drug Use."
Read the CVS Health-sponsored series "Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity."

Related Links: