Healthcare Reform and the ACA News

• Regular Vitamin D Supplements May Lower Melanoma Risk Taking vitamin D supplements, even just occasionally, may reduce an individual's risk of developing malignant melanoma, suggest the results of a Finnish retrospective analysis.
  Medscape Medical News, January 12, 2023
• What Cancer Patients Should Consider When Picking a Health Plan Open enrollment in the ACA exchange is ending soon, but there's still time to pick a health plan for 2023. Although the process can be particularly daunting for those with cancer, these tips may help.
  Medscape Medical News, January 11, 2023
• Sen. Sanders Asks Moderna Not to Hike COVID Vaccine Price Senator Bernie Sanders sent Moderna a letter asking the drug company to halt planned US price increases on its COVID vaccine, saying price hikes could make the shot unaffordable for millions of Americans.
  Reuters Health Information, January 10, 2023
• Cancer Clinics See Patients Demanding New Cancer Detection Tests Multicancer early detection tests are finally a reality and could be a potential game changer because may be able to screen for up to 50 different cancers in asymptomatic individuals with one blood draw.
  MDedge News, January 10, 2023
• Nation Avoided Holiday Tripledemic, but COVID Still Threatens It appears the US avoided the much-feared holiday 'tripledemic' of COVID, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus.
  WebMD Health News, January 09, 2023
• Even With Insurance, EDs Can Cost a Bundle Even for people with private insurance who are employed by large companies, the average out-of-pocket cost of an ED visit can exceed their savings.
  WebMD Health News, January 04, 2023
• Medicare Keeps Spending More on COVID-19 Testing Medicare's COVID-19 testing costs reached over $2 billion in 2022. Experts say financial incentives and a lack of regulation early in the pandemic led to fraud and overspending.
  ProPublica, January 03, 2023
• China's COVID Policymaking Under Scrutiny as Infections Soar After China scrapped three years of zero-COVID curbs in 30 days, setting off a massive wave of infections, Beijing's policymakers face an immense challenge to treat the sick and minimize deaths while winning back public trust dented by previous policies.
  Reuters Health Information, December 29, 2022
• COVID-19 Was the Leading Cause of Death in Mexico in 2021 The rate of excess mortality in Mexico was 47% in 2021. Heart disease and diabetes were the second and third leading causes of death, respectively.
  Medscape Medical News, December 28, 2022
• Top Cardiology Societies Call for Revamp of Clinical Trials Clinical trials have become too costly and burdensome and it's time to reinvent how they are conducted, leading cardiology societies say in a joint opinion.
  Medscape Medical News, December 27, 2022
• Medicare Pay Cuts Partly Averted in Massive Budget Bill US lawmakers partly averted Medicare pay cuts in a massive year-end spending bill that also sets new health policies including FDA's accelerated drug approvals and substance abuse treatment.
  Medscape Medical News, December 27, 2022
• Massachusetts to Reform Prison Conditions for the Mentally Ill The state prison system will reform how it cares for inmates with mental health issues and supervise prisoners at risk for self-harm to resolve civil rights investigation by the Department of Justice.
  Reuters Health Information, December 20, 2022
• Benefits of Hospital-at-Home Clear, Future Is Less Certain Hospital-at-home programs lower costs and produce better outcomes, but their future may be in jeopardy once the pandemic emergency expires.
  Medscape Medical News, December 20, 2022
• Which Hospital Factors Are Linked With Timely Fracture Care? Structural biases within health systems may account for delays, regardless of individual patient race, according to new data.
  Medscape Medical News, December 16, 2022
• States Challenge Biden to Lower Drug Prices Colorado has joined Florida, New Hampshire, and New Mexico in seeking federal permission to import prescription drugs from Canada.
  Kaiser Health News, December 15, 2022
• New Zealand Bans Future Generations From Buying Tobacco Under New Laws Future generations of New Zealanders will be banned from purchasing tobacco as part of a package of new anti-smoking laws that passed parliament on Tuesday and are among the most strict in the world.
  Reuters Health Information, December 13, 2022
• WHO Appoints Jeremy Farrar as Chief Scientist The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that Jeremy Farrar will become its new chief scientist as the agency prepares to cope with post-pandemic health challenges.
  Reuters Health Information, December 13, 2022
• Choosing Private Practice; Cancer and Psilocybin; and Memory Loss The top 3 things you should know to start your day.
  3 Things to Know Today, December 14, 2022
• Should You Quit Employment to Open a Practice? If you've ever been disillusioned with your employment status, you know what it's like to dream of opening your own practice. Four physicians share how and why they did it, and whether it was worth it.
  Medscape Medical News, December 13, 2022
• More States to Consider Extending Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Fifteen states haven't moved to extend Medicaid coverage for new moms beyond the minimum of 60 days after birth.
  Kaiser Health News, December 09, 2022