November 19, 2020 | Despite surge, COVID death rates down
INDUSTRY NEWS
Around and around: Seven changes to expect
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to make sweeping changes that undo Trump-era health care policies. CNN identified seven reversals to expect from the incoming president. Among the areas: Short-term health plans, which typically have lower premiums but provide less comprehensive coverage waivers that allow states to impose Medicaid work requirements; abortion policy; and LGBTQ rights. In many cases, Biden will reverse Trump administration changes that reversed Obama-era policy. (CNN)
CMS has issued its final rule mandating that nearly all health insurers and self-insured plans disclose pricing and cost-sharing information. The Transparency in Coverage Act requires them to post in-network and out-of-network rates they negotiate with providers. It also requires insurers to develop online price transparency tools to give patients cost-sharing information. The rule encourages payers to motivate consumers to use lower-cost, higher-value providers by passing on the savings to beneficiaries. It also allows plans to take credit for shared-savings payments in their medical-loss ratio calculations: The payments won't count toward plans' administrative costs, Modern Healthcare reports. (Modern Healthcare*; CMS fact sheet)
INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NEHII) and the Iowa Health Information Network (IHIN)—non-profit health information exchanges—announced plans this month to join forces and boost interoperability between providers in the neighboring states. Last month, Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) and Health Current, an Arizona-based HIE, announced plans to create the most extensive regional HIE in the western part of the country. (EHRIntelligence)
Despite surge, COVID death rates down
The chances that a person with COVID-19 will die has dropped by nearly a third since April, according to researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). In the U.S., COVID-19 now kills about 0.6% of people infected vs. around 0.9% early in the pandemic. IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray tells Reuters that doctors have figured out better ways to care for patients, including the use of blood thinners and oxygen support. Determining the fatality rate has been difficult, especially considering that many people who become infected are never identified. (US News & World Report)
CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS
Vax storage too costly for some rural hospitals
Some rural hospitals cannot afford the ultra-cold freezers needed to store some COVID-19 vaccines. That could lead to distribution problems—and rural populations are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and most in need of a vaccine. The freezers cost $10,000 to $15,000 each. The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius. However, the CDC advised state health departments against purchasing ultra-cold freezers, saying other vaccines with less demanding storage requirements will soon be available. It was right: Moderna's just-announced COVID-19 vaccine is expected to stay stable at 2-8 degrees Celsius, obviating that problem. (STAT News; Supply Chain Drive)
The pandemic accelerated an existing demand for consumer-friendly services, including telehealth visits, online scheduling and mobile check-ins, according to a new report from Kaufman Hall. “Changes in the consumer healthcare journey…were already taking place prior to the pandemic,” according to the report. “Over the long term, as patients grow more accustomed to the benefits of telehealth, providers whose services are limited in scope, capacity or functionality will have difficulty competing against more sophisticated solutions from other providers or new entrants with retail experience, including CVS Health and Walmart.” (Healthcare Dive; Kaufman Hall report)
NEW & NOTED
Over 70? New research in JAMA shows...: Vitamin D, omega-3 supplements and strength-training exercise programs—either alone or in combination—won't necessarily lower blood pressure, improve cognitive function or reduce risk for bone fractures in adults over 70, according to new research published in JAMA. (JAMA)
Another reason for the flu shot: People who received the flu vaccine in the year before testing positive for COVID-19 are nearly 2.5 times less likely to be hospitalized with a severe form of the disease than those who were not vaccinated, according to an analysis published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. (UPI)
Robust start: The first week of 2021 ACA open enrollment saw 818,365 people sign up on HealthCare.gov. (FierceHealthcare)
MULTI-MEDIA
Adams: Pandemic fatigue driving COVID surge
COVID-19 is surging in the U.S., and according to U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, "pandemic fatigue" is largely to blame. People are just tired of it all and aren't taking mitigation measures as seriously as before, he says. (NPR)
MARKETVOICES...QUOTES WORTH READING
“Hidden healthcare prices have produced a dysfunctional system that serves special interests but leaves patients out in the cold. Price transparency puts patients in control and forces competition on the basis of cost and quality, which can rein in the high cost of care."—CMS Administrator Seema Verma in a prepared statement, quoted in Modern Healthcare*