Health Affairs This Week

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White House Looks To Trash "Junk" Insurance Plans Jul 14, 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.

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott discuss President Joe Biden's proposed rules to reduce "junk insurance."

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

Read the Underemployment Health Policy Brief.

Related Links:

Administration Takes Action To Limit Junk Health Insurance (Health Affairs Forefront)
The Biden Administration Takes Aim At Medical Financing Products (Health Affairs Forefront)

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The Far-Reaching Health Care Impacts of the Supreme Court's Affirmative Action Decision Jul 07, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Chris Fleming discuss the wide-reaching health care implications of the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action.

Join us July 10 for a virtual Lunch and Learn event on the Supreme Court

Sara Rosenbaum Goes Deep in the Weeds of Medicaid Jun 16, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Chris Fleming interviews Sara Rosenbaum from George Washington University to dive into the Supreme Court decision on Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County v Talevksi.

LGBTQ+ Health Care Policies: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Backward? Jun 09, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad and Michael Gerber discuss the state of health policy related to the LBGTQ+ community in honor of Pride Month. They discuss state policies' impact on the community, the burgeoning data on gender, and more.

Related Links:

LGBTQ+ Health Is An Essential Component Of Public Health Equity Efforts (Health Affairs Forefront)
Health Insurance Coverage And Access To Care Among LGBT Adults, 2013–19 (Health Affairs)
Transgender Adults Have Higher Rates Of Disability Than Their Cisgender Counterparts (Health Affairs)
Anti-LGBTQ+ laws put U.S. in a state of emergency, Human Rights Campaign says (Los Angeles Times)
US judge blocks Florida ban on trans minor care in narrow ruling, says ‘gender identity is real’ (AP)

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How Health Care Fared in the Debt Limit Deal Jun 02, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Chris Fleming and Rob Lott discuss how health care would fare under in current legislation negotiated by the White House and Congressional Republications. to suspend the debt limit. They discuss COVID-19 funding claw backs, SNAP work requirements, and more.

Related Links:

CBO’s Estimate of the Budgetary Effects of Medicaid Work Requirements Under H.R. 2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (CBO)
Medicaid Work Requirements Are Back On The Agenda (KFF)
Forcing States To Tie Medicaid To Work Is An Unconstitutional ‘Gun To The Head’ (Health Affairs Forefront)
Medicaid Work Requirements: Who’s At Risk? (Health Affairs Forefront)

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Resident Physicians Turn To Strikes and Unions May 26, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Michael Gerber and Jessica Bylander discuss the end of the strike by resident physicians at Elmhurst Hospital in New York City and the recent trend of unionization among health care workers, including resident physicians, plus other efforts to secure health care worker rights across the country.

Submit to You're A Health Policy Wonk If... Contest (submissions will be taken through May 31, 2023).

Join us for a Policy Spotlight on June 1 with Carrie Colla from CBO.

Related Links:

Minnesota Lawmakers Take Step to Mandate Nursing Home Wages (Modern Healthcare)
'More Than Half of My Paycheck Goes To Rent': Young US Doctors Push To Unionize (The Guardian)
Resident Doctors End Strike at Elmhurst Hospital (The New York Times)
Nursing Home Workforce Standards (Minnesota)

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Tom Insel on the Mental Health Crisis and Behavioral Health Care Reform May 19, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad interviews Tom Insel, author of Healing: Our Path From Mental Illness to Mental Health, on the latest federal efforts to reform mental and behavioral health care in the United States. Insel previously led the Mental Health Team at Verily and served as Director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Submit to You're A Health Policy Wonk If... Contest (submissions will be taken through May 31, 2023).

Related Links:

Integrating Behavioral Health In Primary Care: Overcoming Decades of Challenges (Health Affairs Forefront)
A New Approach To Mental Health Care, Imported From Abroad (Health Affairs)
Tackling Unfinished Business and Taking on Current Challenges: Putting Biden's Mental Health Proposals in Context (Brookings)
Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CalHHS)
MindSite News

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Lawrence Gostin on The End of COVID As We Know It May 12, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Chris Fleming interviews Lawrence Gostin from Georgetown University on the end of the public health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chris and Lawrence discuss the loss of trust in public health, how the Affordable Care Act was the unsung hero of the pandemic, and our readiness for the next pandemic.

Submit to You're A Health Policy Wonk If... Contest (submissions will be taken through May 31, 2023).

Related Links:

Why The End of The Public Health Emergency Really Matters (Health Affairs Forefront)
Advancing Equity In The Pandemic Treaty (Health Affairs Forefront)

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Kaiser, Geisinger and the Uncertain Future of Value-Based Care May 05, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Michael Gerber discuss the newly-announced merger between Kaiser Permanente and Geisinger Health System. They discuss the evolution of value-based care, how mergers may impact patient outcomes and health spending, and how health economists are reacting to the news.

Submit to You're A Health Policy Wonk If... Contest (submissions will be taken through May 31, 2023).

Related Links:

New Mega-deal Highlights Geisinger's Fall, and Raises Concerns About Where Kaiser Is Going Next (Stat News)
Have Alternative Payment Models Led To Provider Consolidation? (Health Affairs Forefront)
Value-Based Payment As A Tool To Address Excess US Health Spending (Health Affairs)

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Celebrating Health Equity Apr 28, 2023

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Listen to Ryann Tanap and Vabren Watts discuss the latest news and developments in the Health Equity Department at Health Affairs. They preview elevating voices during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and the first published article from the Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees. Plus, Vabe shares a scene report from the conferences he recently attended.

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