Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
National Health Expenditure Projections, 2024–33: Despite Insurance Coverage Declines, Health To Grow As Share Of GDP: READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE. Below is the abstract:
National health expenditures are projected to have grown 8.2 percent in 2024 and to increase 7.1 percent in 2025, reflecting continued strong growth in the use of health care services and goods. During the period 2026–27, health spending growth is expected to average 5.6 percent, partly because of a decrease in the share of the population with health insurance (related to the expiration of temporarily enhanced Marketplace premium tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022) and partly because of an anticipated slowdown in utilization growth from recent highs. Each year for the full 2024–33 projection period, national health care expenditure growth (averaging 5.8 percent) is expected to outpace that for the gross domestic product (GDP; averaging 4.3 percent) and to result in a health share of GDP that reaches 20.3 percent by 2033 (up from 17.6 percent in 2023).[Emphasis added]
Supreme Court allows states to cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood: A divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against Planned Parenthood, saying Medicaid patients do not have a right to sue to obtain non-abortion health care from the organization’s medical providers.
The decision allows South Carolina to cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. It also has implications for patients in other states at a time when Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration are separately trying to defund even non-abortion health care offered by the nation’s largest abortion provider.
RFK Jr. says U.S. will stop funding global vaccine alliance Gavi: The United States will halt its contributions to Gavi, the global alliance that works to expand access to vaccines for children in some of the world’s poorest countries, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday — a move that public health experts said would have deadly consequences.
Healthcare’s broken math: 11 signs the numbers don’t add up A really good overview of some major issues.
About health insurance/insurers
Delays and Denials in Medicare Advantage Fixing the Systemic Conflict of Interest An interesting proposal create a medical necessity review function for Medicare Administrative Contractors.
Healthcare billing fraud: 10 recent cases FYI
About hospitals and healthcare systems
How supply costs have grown at 20 health systems: On average, supply costs accounted for 13% of a hospitals’ expenses in 2024, according to the American Hospital Association’s annual “Cost of Caring” report released April 30.
In 2024, total hospital expenses grew 5.1%, outpacing the overall inflation rate of 2.9% according to the report.
About pharma
Déjà vu for Bristol Myers as it faces another anti-competition lawsuit over blockbuster Pomalyst The specific case is not as important as it includes examples of many different mechanisms companies have used to extend their patents.
Walgreens beats Wall Street expectations ahead of sale to Sycamore Partners: Walgreens Boots Alliance reported adjusted earnings per share of 38 cents for the third quarter of its 2025 fiscal year, which beat Zacks Investment Research's estimate of 34 cents per share. Zacks noted this was an 11.76% "earnings surprise" and said the company has, in the last four quarters, surpassed consensus earnings per share estimates four times.
‘It’s heartbreaking’: Bad cancer drugs shipped to more than 100 countries: Vital chemotherapy drugs used around the world have failed quality tests, leaving cancer patients in more than 100 countries at risk of ineffective treatments and potentially fatal side effects, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) can reveal.
The drugs in question form the backbone of treatment plans for numerous common cancers including breast, ovarian and leukemia. Some drugs contained so little of their key ingredient that pharmacists said giving them to patients would be as good as doing nothing. Other drugs, containing too much active ingredient, put patients at risk of severe organ damage or even death.
About the public’s health
Kennedy remake of CDC vaccine panel has US insurers reassessing sources of expertise: Health insurers are considering new expert sources to help determine which vaccines to pay for as anti-vaccine activist and now U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. begins to revise government recommendations for inoculations, according to multiple insurance industry insiders and experts.
CDC advisory panel, selected by RFK Jr., recommends thimerosal be dropped from flu vaccines The preservative is only in a couple versions of flu vaccine and limited to multi dose vials. This action was really a vanity project for RFK Jr since thimerosal is safe and was long ago eliminated from childhood vaccines. Amazing, from a scientific view, that the committee wasted time on this issue.
PFAS could be replaced with safe graphene oxide solution: Northwestern University researchers have developed a new water- and oil-resistant material that could become a safe, viable replacement for harmful plastics and toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging.
Derived from graphene oxide, the material is non-toxic, environmentally friendly and affordable.
About healthcare IT
Optum launches AI marketplace: Optum has launched a new AI marketplace aimed at helping healthcare organizations more easily adopt AI tools.
The platform connects healthcare providers, payers and developers with curated AI products designed for clinical and administrative use, according to a June 25 news release from Optum. According to the company, the marketplace offers ready-to-use solutions and APIs that can be quickly integrated, helping organizations avoid the time and expense of building tools from scratch.The platform includes AI-powered products from Optum as well as other technology companies like ServiceNow, Microsoft and Google.
Oversight Beyond the FDA: New Report Untangles the Complex Regulation of Health AI Tools: – A new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) examines the complex and often fragmented regulatory landscape for health AI tools that fall outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).