THE FRIDAY RUNDOWN: A Full Week on the Front
It was an exciting week on the health policy front. Doctors can breathe easier — at least until the end of the year — after President Obama signed a 10-month “doc fix.” Meanwhile, the Supreme Court was active in regard to health this week, both adding 30 minutes to the oral arguments in the case against the federal health reform law and sending a case that will determine whether beneficiaries and providers can sue to block Medicaid provider cuts back to a lower court.
That’s not all, though. Everything you need to know about health policy in the last week is after the jump.
AHL’s TOP STORY: Per-Person Cost of High-Risk Health Plan Twice as High as Estimates; 50K Now Enrolled
Health care costs for enrollees in the temporary high-risk insurance pools established by the federal health reform law are expected to be more than double initial predictions, according to a report released by the Obama administration, the Washington Post reports (Kliff, Washington Post, 2/23).
The report also found that between November 2010 and November 2011, enrollment in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan increased by about 400% — helped by about 8,000 new applicants monthly in the second half of 2011 — to about 50,000 U.S. residents. That figure is well short of initial estimates by the CMS actuary, who predicted that 375,000 U.S. residents would enroll by the end of 2010 (Pecquet, “Healthwatch,” The Hill, 2/23). Read the rest of this entry »
WHAT WE’RE READING: An Ocean Can’t Spare You From Santorum’s Bogus Claims
- “Dutch Puzzled by Santorum’s False Claim of Forced Euthanasia,” New York Times‘ “The Lede”: No wonder Americans are perceived as ignorant.
- “Will Men Go Extinct? New Research Says It’s Unlikely.” Christian Science Monitor: Phew. Mankind dodges a huge bullet.
- “How the Computer That Won ‘Jeopardy!’ Could Change Medicine,” The Atlantic: It’s time to bring the A game. Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’s TOP STORY: Supreme Court Sends California Medicaid Lawsuit Back to Appellate Court
The Supreme Court yesterday declined to rule on a California lawsuit that could determine whether Medicaid beneficiaries and providers can sue states over reimbursement cuts, the Los Angeles Times reports (Savage/Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 2/23). The justices sent the case back to a lower appellate court, noting the complexity of the case and the fact that some circumstances have changed since it originally was filed (Doyle, Sacramento Bee, 2/23). Read the rest of this entry »
WHAT WE’RE READING: No Need To Complicate Your Genetics
- “Doctors Revive the Simplest Genetic Test,” Wall Street Journals’ “Health Blog”: The most basic genetic tool? Your family tree. Read the rest of this entry »
BACK AND FORTH: The Debate Over N.Y. Gov.’s Proposed Prescription Drug Database
According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is looking into new ways to create a database that would track prescriptions being issued and filled in real-time without having to pass legislation. However, the proposal is opposed by physicians and pharmacists who argue such a database would create undue burdens. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has proposed creating a real-time database for reporting prescriptions as they are issued and filed.
AHL’s TOP STORY: FDA Moves To Address Shortages of Two Cancer Drugs
FDA yesterday announced that it temporarily will allow the importation of alternatives for Doxil and methotrexate, two cancer drugs that have been in short supply since November, the New York Times reports. The shortages of both treatments began after Ben Venue Laboratories temporarily closed an Ohio plant to address product safety concerns (Harris, New York Times, 2/21). Read the rest of this entry »
WHAT WE’RE READING: Not Your Grandmother’s Hospital Food
- “New Hospital Cuisine: Dishes Made to Order,” Wall Street Journal: The new face of hospital cuisine. Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’s TOP STORY: Advocacy Groups Oppose Offsets in ‘Doc Fix’ Legislation
Several advocacy groups last week criticized the offsets included in legislation that delays scheduled cuts to Medicare physician reimbursement rates, saying they are short-sighted and will have adverse effects on long-term efforts to combat obesity, cancer and other diseases, CQ HealthBeat reports (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 2/17). Read the rest of this entry »
