That is the title of my article out today in The Evidence Base. Here is an excerpt: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are now setting drug prices under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation program. Unlike other health technology assessment (HTA) bodies worldwide, however, CMS will not consider quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) when setting drug…
By KIM BELLARD On the heels of the disastrous floods in Texas, days away from the Hurricane Katrina twenty year anniversary, and with Hurricane Erin almost becoming another Hurricane Sandy, the dedicated employees at FEMA are worried. Very worried. They’ve got a President who repeatedly has called to dismantle the agency, a DHS Secretary who…
The Trump administration’s cuts to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of a state, according to a KFF Health News analysis. Democratic-led states and select blue-leaning cities fought back in court and saw money for public health efforts restored…
For the most part, Keyanna Jones and her husband thought they knew what to expect when their daughter Chloë had eye surgery last fall. Even Chloë, who was in kindergarten, had a good understanding of how things would go that day. Before the procedure, a hospital worker gave her a coloring book that explained the…
By JASON HINES This is Part 2 of Jason and Gigasheets’ investigation into the Capital Women’s Care vs UnitedHealthcare contract dispute in which (partially at my request) he expanded the investigation to look at other providers in the same market. Revealing stuff!–Matthew Holt While Capital Women’s Care (CWC) battles UnitedHealthcare over contract terms, a deeper look at…
By MATTHEW HOLT (I copied this here from Linked in where it 65+ comments just so I can find it when the story continues) Too painful to write up fully but I am on my 4th transfer in one phone call to MarinHealth trying to get an echocardiogram (EDIT-not an EKG as I originally wrote)….
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) recently released a new strategy to “Make America Healthy Again.” The strategy includes: Promoting evidence-based preventionEmpowering people to achieve their health goalsDriving choice and competition for people A Health Affairs Forefront article from Joshua M. Liao notes three broad goals: increasing patient engagement, better leveraging data and…
Preocupados por la inflación, los estadounidenses han estado atentos a precios de productos cotidianos como los huevos y la gasolina. Pero un gasto menos conocido debería causar más alarma: el aumento de las primas de los seguros médicos. Llevan años subiendo, y ahora lo están haciendo a un ritmo sin precedentes. Hay que considerar que,…
As measles surged in Texas early this year, the Trump administration’s actions sowed fear and confusion among CDC scientists that kept them from performing the agency’s most critical function — emergency response — when it mattered most, an investigation from KFF Health News shows. The outbreak soon became the worst the United States has endured…
Don’t get Nathan Jones started on xylitol, the active ingredient in his chewing gum, nasal spray, and other products. He’ll talk your ear off about its wondrous powers against tooth decay, as well as its potential to fight covid, heart disease, Alzheimer’s — you name it. For now, Jones, the founder of Xlear, can’t make…