Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
About health insurance/insurers
Long-Term Spending of Accountable Care Organizations in the Medicare Shared Savings Program: In this difference-in-differences study of more than 8 million patients, ACO formation was associated with a mean differential reduction of $142 (1.2%) in annual per-patient spending over 3 years and $294 (2.4%) over 6 years. Physician-group and small ACOs generated relatively large reductions. Spending changes resulted in $4.1 billion to $8.1 billion in savings to Medicare between 2012 and 2019.
See, also: Reflecting on 2 Decades of Medicare ACO Experience
About hospitals and healthcare systems
From -18.5% to 28.8%: 28 health systems ranked by operating margins FYI
Sutter Health to pay $228M to settle antitrust lawsuit: Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health has agreed to pay $228.5 million to settle a long-running class action lawsuit that the health system used its market power to charge supracompetitive rates to major insurers, which resulted in higher premiums for members.
There is no admission of liability and the settlement is subject to court approval, according to an April 25 filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
About pharma
Exclusive: US pharma tariffs would raise US drug costs by $51 billion annually, report finds: A 25% U.S. tariff on pharmaceutical imports would increase U.S. drug costs by nearly $51 billion annually, boosting U.S. prices by as much as 12.9% if passed on, a report commissioned by the industry's U.S. trade group and reviewed by Reuters shows.
The analysis, conducted by Ernst & Young, found the United States imported $203 billion in pharmaceutical products in 2023, with 73% coming from Europe -- primarily Ireland, Germany and Switzerland. Total U.S. sales of finished pharmaceuticals that year were $393 billion.
About the public’s health
U.S. government researchers present ‘phenomenal’ new data on HPV vaccines: A clinical trial run by the National Cancer Institute seems to confirm that a single dose of the vaccine used to prevent infection with the human papilloma virus is just as effective as two — and, therefore, also helps to prevent cancer.
9 in 10 Americans have put off health checkups, life-saving screenings: Key findings from Aflac’s third annual “Wellness Matters Survey” reveal that most Americans (94%) put off getting a health checkup or screening that could help identify and treat serious illness early. Why? Fear of bad news, personal embarrassment, inconvenience, logistical barriers, and distrust or dislike of doctors — especially among younger adults — rank among the most common reasons, according to the survey.