Health Affairs This Week

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...

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 (submissi...

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...

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 M...

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. Sign up for our newslette...

Health Affairs ' Chris Fleming and Rob Lott interview Sabrina Corlette from Georgetown University on the health of the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and the final rule for the HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2024, which has many initiatives related to health equity. Join us April 24 for a special Insider-only Virtual Networking event! Related Links: Final 2024 Payment Rule, Par...

Health Affairs ' Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the large amount of news and controversy over the abortion pill mifepristone as the drug's 2000 approval -- and subsequent changes to how patients can access it -- make their way through the courts. NOTE: This episode was recorded in the afternoon of April 13, 2023, shortly before the Justice Department requested the Supreme Court to re...

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Kathleen Haddad interview Melanie Bella, head of partnerships & policy at Cityblock Health  and current chair of Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) on Medicaid expansion, dual eligibles and more. Read the Health Affairs Forefront series Medicare and Medicaid Integration . Related Links: Governor Cooper Signs Medicaid Expansion Into Law Inte...

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Marianne Amoss discuss the recent antitrust lawsuit against Express Scripts and Prime Therapeutics regarding pharmacy benefit managers and alleged collusion to share drug pricing information. Join us for a Lunch and Learn Event on Health Care Workforces on April 4 . This event is supported by the de Beaumont Foundation . Related Links: Pharmacy Benefit...

Health Affairs ' Jessica Bylander and Chris Fleming dive into the complex world of insulin pricing and recent efforts to control its costs for the millions of Americans with diabetes. Read the Ahead of Print article on Medicare Advantage benchmarks by Michael Chernew and colleagues . Related Links: Sanofi announces insulin price cap after actions by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk ( NBC News ) Why is i...

Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Michael Gerber read the health care policy tea leaves for the President's Budget for 2024, including Medicare funding, Medicaid expansion, prescription drug costs, public health preparedness, and more. Related Links: FACT SHEET: The President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (White House) C urrently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available — and we...

Listen to Health Affairs' Vabren Watts and Ryann Tanap discuss a new peer-reviewed article published in Learned Publishing where Health Affairs shares our journey to advance racial equity in scholarly publishing of health policy and health services research. They also discuss a recently-published Health Affairs Forefront article about our progress since 2020 — what we have achieved and what we hav...

Health Affairs' Marianne Amoss and Chris Fleming discuss recent data on mortality in prisons and health care in carceral settings, especially in connection with COVID-19. Join us February 28 for a Virtual Happy Hour ! Related Links: Developing Nation Social Care Standards ( Health Affairs Forefront ) UCLA Law Releases New Database to Monitor Deaths in US Prisons with Funding from Arnold Ventures R...

Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Leslie Erdelack unpack the health care highlights from President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address, including the opioid epidemic, drug prices, noncompete agreements, and social media and kids' mental health. Join us February 28 for a Virtual Happy Hour ! Related Links: Competition and Vulnerabilities In The Global Supply Chain For US Generic Act...

Listen to Health Affairs' Laura Tollen, Chris Fleming and Michael Gerber discuss the new report from the Health Affairs' Council on Health Care Spending and Value. The council spent four years looking into how the US  could take a more deliberate approach to moderating health care spending growth while maximizing value. Learn more about Health Affairs Scholar . Related Links: Council On Health Car...

Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Kathleen Haddad explain the complexities of the CMS final rule on Medicare Advantage risk adjustment. Read the CHS report's executive summary (available after 1pm ET on 2/3/23) Related Links: CMS Issues Final Rule to Protect Medicare, Strengthen Medicare Advantage, and Hold Insurers Accountable (CMS) New Medicare Rule Aims to Take Back $4.7 Billion From Insurers...

Listen to Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the latest efforts to fix problems with directories of health care providers and the potential for a national provider directory. Join Us for the Considering Health Spending event on February 3 . Related Links: Request for Information; National Directory of Healthcare Providers & Services CMS Proposed Rule on Medicare Parts...

Listen to Ellen Bayer and Marianne Amoss discuss some of the latest headlines in health care, including child immunization rates, suicide care for veterans, and public health concerns surrounding gas stoves. Health Affairs in 2022: Editor's Picks Most Read Health Affairs Forefront Articles of 2022 Top Health Affairs Podcast Episodes of 2022 Best-Read 2022 Journal Articles Related Links: Vaccinatio...

Listen to Health Affairs Ryann Tanap and Vabren Watts in the first of many "Health Equity Corner" episodes on This Week discuss the latest from the health equity department and unpack what Leqembi, the newly approved Alzheimer's disease drug, could mean in the health equity space. Related Links: FDA Grants Accelerated Approval for Alzheimer's Disease Treatment (FDA) CMS Statement on FDA Accelerate...

We're back! New year, more podcasts. In the first episode of 2023, Kathleen Haddad and Chris Fleming discuss, the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill, the coming end of Medicaid eligibility for millions, a new COVID variant, and more. With no shortage of news in the health care space, we're excited for a new year of Health Affairs This Week . Related Links: Home-Based Care Reimagined: A Full Fledged Health...

On the 100th episode of Health Affairs This Week, Ellen Bayer and Kathleen Haddad go over major policy developments in health care this year, including COVID-19, abortion, gun violence, drug prices, and more. Related Links: What Are The Prescription Drug Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act? ( Kaiser Family Foundation ) House Passes The Equality Act: Here's What It Would Do ( NPR ) Five Thing...

Listen to Leslie Erdelack and Jessica Bylander discuss the FDA's look into the potential for over-the-counter naloxone products to help reduce opioid overdose deaths. Related Links: FDA Fast-tracks Review of Over-the-Counter Opioid Drug ( Axios ) FDA Announces Preliminary Assessment that Certain Naloxone Products Have the Potential to be Safe and Effective for Over-the-Counter Use (FDA) Plan N: Th...

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is investigating hospitals' software algorithms to help identify potential racial biases in the systems. Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Rob Lott discuss the background and research behind racial biases in health care algorithms. View the Anniversary Timeline celebrating 40+ years of advancing health policy . Related Links: Dissecting Racial Bia...

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Kathleen Haddad break down the under-discussed state ballot initiatives that focused on health care in the 2022 mid-term elections. Related Links: What The 2022 Midterm Results Might Mean for Health Care ( Health Affairs Forefront ) What Recent State Elections Mean for Health Care ( Health Affairs Forefront ) A Proposed Policy Agenda for Electronic Cigarettes in the...

Health Affairs Kathleen Haddad and Vabren Watts discuss open enrollment season and Medicare provisions in the CMS Final Rule. Related Links: Previewing The 2023 Open Enrollment Period ( Health Affairs Forefront ) HHS Finalizes Physician Payment Rule Strengthening Access to Behavioral Health Services and Whole-Person Care (CMS) Shopping for ACA Health Insurance? Here's What's New This Year ( Kaiser...