October 1, 2020 | The power of advocacy
INDUSTRY NEWS
ACA reduced catastrophic expenditures
ACA implementation was associated with 2 million fewer adults with catastrophic expenditures each year, researchers write in JAMA Open Network. Catastrophic medical expenditures are defined as those that force people to spend more than 40% of their income on health costs (out-of-pocket plus premium) after accounting for subsistence items (e.g., food and housing). Nevertheless, each year, 11 million U.S. adults, including 6 million with private insurance, experience catastrophic health expenditures. The numbers are likely to grow during the pandemic, according to the researchers. “Health reform should move beyond expanding insurance coverage alone to address persistently high out-of-pocket spending among the insured.” (JAMA Network Open)
EOs address preexisting conditions, surprise billing
President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) to protect those with preexisting conditions. The order is largely symbolic and “will have little practical consequence,” Modern Healthcare reports. A second EO addresses surprise billing. If no balance billing reform happens by the end of the year, HHS will "investigate regulatory actions" that could be taken on the issue. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) released a statement calling for legislative progress on banning balance billing. Kaiser Health News offers a roundup of the coverage. (Modern Healthcare*; Kaiser Health News)
INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
Colorado deploys mobile addiction clinics
Mobile clinics themselves aren’t novel but using them for addiction is. Colorado deploys RVs as addiction treatment clinics to remote underserved towns, using telehealth to connect patients with doctors. The health teams perform in-person testing and counseling and virtually connect with providers who can prescribe medicine to fight addiction and the risk of overdose. Each RV has a nurse, a counselor and a peer specialist who has personal experience with addiction; all had to be trained to drive a six-wheeled vehicle. (Kaiser Health News)
UnitedHealth’s call for reform: Build on the current system
In The Path Forward to a Next-Generation Health System, United Health charts a course for broad reform. It identifies four key goals that can be achieved by building on the strengths of the current system. "Together, the private and public sectors can build on what’s working today and address shortcomings by continuing to develop innovative solutions that achieve universal coverage, make health care more affordable, provide better experiences for consumers and physicians, and improve health outcomes," the company wrote. Building on Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act's exchanges can reach the millions of people who lack health insurance, according to the paper. (Fierce Healthcare; United Health Group)
CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS
PCPs: Primary care has not rebounded
Primary care practices in the U.S. are still suffering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by the Larry A. Green Center and the Primary Care Collaborative. It found that 35% of respondents say their revenue and pay are still significantly lower than they were before the onset of the pandemic, and 81% disagree with the notion that primary care has rebounded. Conducted between Sept. 4 and 8, it is the 19th in the organizations’ series of weekly surveys. (Medical Economics; survey results)
Poll: Americans want more data sharing
Most Americans responding to a new Pew survey support efforts to improve how their medical information is shared among clinicians. They also they want greater access to their own health data. For example, 81% indicated they would support allowing health care providers to share patient information between their EHR systems when caring for the same patient. In addition, 61% of adults said they would want to be able to download their records to applications on mobile devices to help them manage their own health. (Pew)
NEW & NOTED
Rotisserie chicken and virtual care: Sam’s Club—a division of Walmart—is offering members a telehealth discount with virtual care provider 98point6. The subscription includes visits for $1 with unlimited use and access to U.S. board-certified doctors. Sam’s Club members using the 98point6 app can also get necessary prescriptions or labs ordered, officials said in a release. (Fierce Healthcare)
Seniors to get $200? President Trump unexpectedly announced Thursday that his administration will send $200 discount cards to 33 million older Americans to help with prescription drug costs. No details were announced, but White House officials said the $7 billion program could be paid for through a proposed program to lower Medicare drug prices. (Washington Post)
COVID trending up again: COVID-19 infections in the United States are trending upwards. Four states reported record one-day increases in new COVID-19 cases on Friday: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oregon and Utah. (Reuters)
MULTI-MEDIA
Lisa Deck was a healthy 21-year old when her first stroke put her in the hospital. She suffered two more strokes before she turned 25, and after that a fourth. After serious misdiagnosis and incorrect treatments, she was finally diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, a rare incurable—but treatable—condition. In this podcast, she shares her diagnostic odyssey, her commitment to advocacy and the value of peer and family support. She also talks about the importance of staying positive and why patients must learn to advocate for themselves. (Listen Notes)
MARKETVOICES...QUOTES WORTH READING
“We really believe we bring treatment to our patients and we meet them where they’re at, so meeting them where they’re at physically is not a long leap from meeting them where they’re at motivationally and psychologically.”—Donna Goldstrom, clinical director for Front Range Clinic, a Fort Collins, Colo., practice that operates mobile addiction clinics, in Kaiser Health News.