Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made by RFK Jr. during Senate hearing: An excellent review.
RFK Jr. Picks 7 New Members for CDC's Vaccine Panel: Here's What We Know Read about his pics for this very important panel.
About Covid-19
I inserted myself into a conversation at a bar about Covid and vaccines. Here’s what happened A MUST read review of Covid misinformation.
About health insurance/insurers
Policy Changes to Boost Catastrophic Coverage as Premium Tax Credits Expire: Key Highlights
HHS's new guidance simplifies access to catastrophic health coverage for consumers ineligible for premium tax credits or cost-sharing reductions.
Eligibility for expanded catastrophic plans will be based on estimated annual household income, starting November 1st during open enrollment.
Catastrophic plans typically feature lower premiums and cover essential services like three primary care visits before deductibles apply.
The policy aims to mitigate financial hardship caused by rising premiums, especially for those who cannot qualify for subsidies.
This initiative responds to the potential economic impact of expiring premium tax credits and rising healthcare costs nationwide.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
Accountable Care Organization Assignment and Outcomes and Spending for TEAM Surgical Conditions: Among Medicare FFS beneficiaries undergoing 1 of the 5 TEAM-targeted surgical procedures from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2023, ACO assignment was associated with reduced mortality and marginally higher episode spending. These findings suggest that a fundamental premise of TEAM—shifting surgical episode accountability to primary care—is unlikely to result in significant savings on its own, but may improve clinical outcomes for these conditions.
27 large health systems growing bigger FYI
NEW STUDY WARNS OF UP TO $25B IN HOSPITAL REVENUE LOSSES FROM MEDICAID DISENROLLMENT: KEY TAKEAWAYS
Hospitals could lose between $1 million and $4 million annually in net revenue depending on the level of Medicaid disenrollment.
Net income for the average hospital could drop by more than 70% as Medicaid patients become self-pay, dramatically lowering collection rates.
National Hospital Flash Report: Key Takeaways
1. Patient volumes and revenues are trending upward. However, bad debt and charity care continue to be elevated.
2. Expense growth is outpacing revenue growth. Non-labor expenses continue to put pressure on hospitals.
3. Margins have improved over prior years, though there has been some softening in recent months. Given an uncertain future outlook, many hospitals are taking steps to build long term resiliency.
About pharma
Physician Perspectives on Pharmaceutical Promotion: This 13-year longitudinal survey study found that physician perceptions of industry evolved, with increasing confidence in industry information about drugs but growing concern about the role of industry-physician marketing interactions in trust in medicine. Shifts in attitude may be attributable to respondents’ leaving training and assuming professional roles or may represent secular changes over time.
Trump eyes easing tariffs on pharmaceuticals: President Donald Trump signed an executive order modifying the scope of tariffs for certain imports, including pharmaceuticals, yet some of the proposed changes are dependent on the U.S. reaching broader trade agreements, according to the White House.
In a related article: Japan wins exemption on generics in new US trade deal
About the public’s health
Exclusive: RFK Jr. and the White House buried a major study on alcohol and cancer. Here’s what it shows: Three co-authors on the Alcohol Intake and Health Study, which was commissioned in early 2022 by the US Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden, told Vox that they were informed last month that the Trump administration did not intend to publish the final draft of the study or its findings.
“The thing that the alcohol industry fears more than increased taxes is increased knowledge about the risks associated with drinking alcohol, particularly around cancer,” Mike Marshall, CEO of a group dedicated to reducing alcohol’s harms called the Alcohol Policy Alliance, who was not involved with the study…
Removing Fluoride From Water?An Oral Health Crisis Unfolds An excellent review of the topic of water fluoridation. The paper notes, for example: A recent study in JAMA Health Forum demonstrates how concerning the elimination of fluoridation could be: 25 million additional children will be experiencing dental caries, and nearly $10 billion more will be spent over 5 years.
About healthcare personnel
Healthcare Jobs Are a Rare Bright Spot in the Stalling Labor Market: Health services, which include healthcare and social assistance, have long been an engine of U.S. job growth, bolstering the labor market through thick and thin. But amid a general weakening in the labor market, the danger is that the sector doesn’t have enough gasoline in the tank to keep driving employment forward. Impending Medicaid cuts, for example, could severely slow it down. What is more, the sector might turn out to not be providing as much oomph to job growth as the official data now show.
Friday’s jobs report reinforced the trend, painting a picture of a sharply slowing labor market, with health services one of the few relatively bright spots. Indeed, absent gains in health-services employment in August, the private sector would have shed jobs last month.
About health technology
FDA greenlights trial of gene-edited pig kidneys as treatment for end-stage kidney disease: On Monday, eGenesis, a Cambridge-based biotechnology company, announced that it had been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to begin a trial of kidneys from donor pigs that have been CRISPR’d to make their organs more human-friendly.
Quest Diagnostics rolls out genetic test to guide drug therapy:In a strategic move into precision medicine, Quest Diagnostics on Thursday launched a pharmacogenomic (PGx) laboratory testing service to help healthcare providers better understand individual genetic responses to medications. The service will leverage PGx data across a slew of medical specialties, including psychiatry, neurology, cardiology, oncology, rheumatology, pain management and organ transplantation.