Business of Medicine
Feature
Trump administration clears way to require work for some Medicaid enrollees
Adding a work requirement to Medicaid would mark one of the biggest changes since its inception in 1966.
Feature
CMS launches advanced APM focused on bundled payments
The program “builds on the earlier success of bundled payment models and is an important step in the move away from fee for service.”
Feature
HHS nominee Azar open to price negotiations for Part B drugs
The tone at Mr. Azar’s confirmation hearing generally was more conversational and less adversarial than that of his predecessor, Dr. Tom Price.
Law & Medicine
Sexual harassment
Which physician behaviors and health care workplace environments cross the line into sexual harassment?
Feature
Massachusetts named healthiest state for 2017
Mississippi, on the other hand, has the most room for improvement.
News
Withholding elective surgery in smokers, obese patients
Last year, the English county of Hertfordshire banned elective surgeries in smokers and obese patients until they stopped smoking or lost weight...
Feature
Drug price increases far outpaced inflation in 2015
Average increase in the cost of “market basket” of drugs widely used by older Americans has exceeded the inflation rate every year since 2004.
Feature
HealthCare.gov enrollment for 2018 nearly doubled in final week
Plans selected this year were down slightly from last year’s much longer open-enrollment period.
Feature
Medicaid’s share of state budgets continues to grow
States provided $574 billion in benefits during fiscal 2017.
Feature
After 6 weeks, HealthCare.gov activity still ahead of last year
As the end of this year’s open enrollment nears, however, plan selections are only about half of last year’s total.
Law & Medicine
Physician-assisted suicide – an update
Has opinion among physicians and lawmakers shifted against legalizing physician-assisted suicide?