Harrison Ford reportedly Join the Marvel Cinematic Universebecause his resume doesn’t seem to have enough iconic characters yet.
Today, President Biden signed an executive order to explore new ways that could bring down the cost of prescription drugs.
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Biden Signs Order on Drug Pricing
President Biden signed an executive order on Friday to explore additional ways his administration can lower the cost of prescription drugs.
- According to a White House press release, the order directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider ways to use innovation centers to reduce the cost of medicines.
- Created under the Affordable Care Act, the Innovation Center develops and tests new payment and delivery models for Medicare and Medicaid.
- Agencies are given 90 days to report plans to use the center to reduce drug prices.
The announcement by the White House comes just one day after the biggest Social Security increase in 40 years. Increase.
Friday’s executive order aims to build on drug pricing reforms in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Passed and signed into law in August, the law allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time and caps the cost of insulin under Medicare and the cost of Medicare geriatric medicine. .
Please check this out for details.
Biden’s Western tour highlights drug costs
President Biden will highlight his administration’s efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs during stops in California and Oregon this weekend.
He plans to visit a community college in Irvine, California, and then a community center in Portland, Oregon, to talk about plans to strengthen Medicare and Social Security, and to promote the Inflation Reduction Act and efforts to lower costs for seniors. American.
The visit to Oregon comes amid signs that Democrats’ control of the governor’s mansion may be in jeopardy, with Democrats facing stiff competition for the top and bottom of the vote.
Republicans are taking advantage of rising inflation and rising prices, and see opportunities to seize power in areas once credible.
Both the event and the executive order, including Medicare price negotiations and a Medicare insulin price cap, came just a month before the midterm elections as Democrats try to sell to the public about drug pricing regulations in the Control Inflation Act. increase.
VA extends survivor benefits to same-sex couples
On Friday, the Veterans Administration (VA) announced an initiative to expand survivor benefits to LGBT veteran survivors. Many of them were unable to marry legally before the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.
Before the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, same-sex couples could not legally marry in at least 12 states.
That fact continues to affect survivors of LGBT veterans who are excluded from veteran survivor benefits because the veteran spouse died before their legal marriage met the department’s marital length requirements. increase.
VA guidelines require a couple to be married for at least one year to be eligible for survivor benefits, and for at least eight years to be eligible for higher rate benefits.
However, the agency said on Friday that LGBT veteran survivors can now apply for these benefits. Eligible surviving spouses who apply next year can receive benefits retroactively to October 11, 2022.
Please check this out for details.
Support for equality due to rising human suffering from COVID-19
Americans who have experienced personal harm during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether in the form of infectious disease, financial hardship or psychological distress, are on equal footing one year later, according to new research published by Washington University in St. Louis. more likely to support and promote Louis.
- The study was conducted as a three-part longitudinal study that began in May 2020, with follow-up in October 2020 and May 2021.
- A total of 688 US adults responded to all three surveys.
Equality was measured based on individual support for programs such as universal health care and efforts to engage public officials to demonstrate support for reducing inequality.
Results showed that those personally affected early in the pandemic were better able to understand how structural factors contribute to inequality. increased tendency to claim
This study suggests that the damage caused by COVID-19 may have long-term effects on American attitudes and beliefs about inequality.
Please check this out for details.
CMS Releases Medicare Advantage Audit
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) agreed to release dozens of private Medicare Advantage health plan audits to resolve lawsuits filed in 2019. Kaiser Health News (KHN).
In September 2019, KHN filed a lawsuit requesting CMS to provide 90 government audits, including documents from 2011, 2012 and 2013.
These documents were reviews of the Medicare Advantage Risk-Adjusted Data Validation. The risk adjustment is used by health insurance companies to determine expected medical costs for enrolled individuals.
- In its lawsuit, KHN alleges that CMS improperly withheld audits of its Medicare Advantage plans and that those reviews identified more than $650 million in improper charges.
- By settling the lawsuit, CMS did not admit to unfairly withholding the requested documents and agreed to pay $63,000 in attorney fees, according to KHN. I will do my best to do so.
Medicare Advantage, also known as Medicare Part C, operates primarily through private contract insurance companies. When the lawsuit was filed in 2019, had been reported The Medicare Advantage Plan has overcharged the federal government by about $30 billion over the past three years, prompting scrutiny from both the media and lawmakers.
As of 2022, more than 28 million Medicare beneficiaries will be enrolled in Medicare Advantage, nearly half of all beneficiaries.
what we are reading
- The next wave of US COVID is coming. Why is it “much stranger than it used to be”? (yahoo news)
- The document details how pharmacy giants Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart failed patients in the opioid crisis (statistics)
- ‘A bit awkward’: Doctors find themselves on a name basis (new york times)
by state
- South Dakota marks the end of an era of Medicaid expansion (Politico)
- 5 Things You Need to Know About Colorado’s Psychedelic Vote Initiative (Kaiser Health News)
- Survey: Kansas ranks lowest in the nation for access to mental health resources (KWCHMore)
That’s all for today, thanks for reading.Check out The Hill healthcare page For the latest news and coverage. see you next week.
