Health Affairs This Week

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What could Medicaid and COVID-19 vaccine distribution look like under a Biden administration? Jan 15, 2021

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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.

The news in 2021 has yet to slow down in the realm of health policy. For one, reports have found that unused COVID-19 vaccines are being thrown away, calling into question what to be done about vaccine distribution. In addition, the Trump administration recently approved a Tennessee Medicaid block grant waiver.

Listen to editors Christopher Fleming and Jessica Bylander discuss the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and what the Biden administration may do with Medicaid block grants and work requirements when entering office.

Related Links:

In Its First 100 Days, The Biden Administration Must Restore The Soul Of Medicaid (Health Affairs Blog)
The Affordable Care Reduced Income Inequality In The US (Health Affairs)
See How The Vaccine Rollout Is Going In Your State (New York Times)

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Health policy on the table in 2021 with democratic Congress Jan 08, 2021

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Editors Leslie Erdelack and Rob Lott kick off 2021 with a new episode of This Week.

A lot of news was crammed into the first week of 2021. Early on, Haven, the health care organization founded by Amazon, J.P. Morgan, and Berkshire Hathaway, decided to fold after being in business for three years. The Georgia runoff election confirmed a democratic Congress for the incoming Biden Administration. And, in late December 2020, a sweeping legislative package added more protections from surprise medical bills.

Listen to Leslie and Rob talk about what all these events mean for health policy in 2021.

Related Links:

What a Democratic Congress Means For the ACA (Health Affairs Blog)
Coverage Provisions in the 2021 Appropriations and COVID-19 Stimulus Package (Health Affairs Blog)
Arbitration Over Out-Of-Network Medical Bills: Evidence from New Jersey Payment Disputes (Health Affairs)

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Overlooked health policy stories of 2020 - Part 2 Dec 31, 2020

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

The COVID-19 pandemic defined the majority of the year 2020. But it wasn't the only story to follow this year, especially in the field of health policy.

In a special extended episode of Health Affairs This Week (the second of two end-of-year episodes), Leslie Erdelack, Vabren Watts and Jessica Bylander discuss some of the stories you may have missed in health policy if you focused most of your attention on the pandemic. The group highlights drug pricing and regulations, the public charge rule, and the increase in health literacy due to the pandemic.

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Overlooked health policy stories of 2020 - Part 1 Dec 24, 2020

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

The COVID-19 pandemic defined the majority of the year 2020. But it wasn't the only story to follow this year, especially in the field of health policy.

In a special extended episode of Health Affairs This Week (the first of two end-of-year episodes), Leslie Erdelack, Chris Fleming, and Rob Lott discuss some of the stories you may have missed in health policy if you focused most of your attention on the pandemic. The group highlights the Affordable Care Act turning 10, antitrust regulations, and environmental rollbacks.

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Snow can't stop the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain Dec 18, 2020

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Checking in from Colorado and Baltimore, Jessica Bylander and Vabren Watts enter the snow discourse before jumping into the latest on COVID-19 vaccines. Supply chains are sending dosages. Frontline workers are receiving them. And, the Health Affairs team reminds us that we can’t ignore the importance of messaging and social distancing as COVID-19 cases rise throughout the U.S.

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Climate change and the future of health policy Dec 11, 2020

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Chris Fleming discuss why health policy is ready to enter the climate change discussion. From the latest Greta Thunberg Hulu documentary to president-elect Joe Biden's pick of John Kerry as a "climate envoy," Leslie and Chris note climate change is too big of an issue for the field to ignore.

This episode dovetails with Health Affairs first ever journal issue dedicated to climate change and how the issue intersects with health policy.