Supreme Court Issues Ruling on ACA’s Preventive Care Mandate
The Supreme Court on Friday preserved a key aspect of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) preventive coverage mandate, handing a defeat to employers who don’t want to be required to cover certain preventive care services. In the 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the appointment of members to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force […]
Panelists discuss decision to end health program for undocumented individuals, future of program for seniors
As Illinois prepares to end a program that provides Medicaid-like coverage for some undocumented seniors, the House’s top budgeteer said federal pressure may eventually force lawmakers to reconsider the program that covers undocumented seniors.
Study Backs Recommended Antibiotic Approach for Aspiration Pneumonia
Antibiotic therapy with extended anaerobic coverage (EAC) was not associated with a survival benefit in patients with community-acquired aspiration pneumonia, according to results from a retrospective cohort study that support current guidelines. Across 18 hospitals in Canada, in-hospital mortality rates were 30.3% for patients treated with antibiotic therapy with limited anaerobic coverage (LAC) and 32.1% […]
CMS Must Work Harder to Get New Drugs and Devices Covered Quickly, House Members Say
Medicare needs to up its game when it comes to approving coverage for new drugs and devices, witnesses and members of Congress agreed Tuesday at a House hearing. “Despite the historic advancements in treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, the Biden administration has decided to limit access to these therapies through onerous coverage policies that require patients […]
Insurance Loss After Pregnancy Tied to Less Postpartum Prescription Contraception
BALTIMORE — Women who lost insurance coverage shortly after pregnancy had lower odds of prescription contraception after giving birth than women with continuous insurance, survey data from nearly 250,000 people showed. Compared with continuous insurance, the likelihood of postpartum prescription contraception was 26% lower with loss of insurance 2 months or more after delivery (adjusted […]
Journal Shows Its Commitment to Exploring AI in Medicine
The New England Journal of Medicine is charging ahead with its coverage of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine, publishing a special report, a review, and an editorial in this week’s issue, and announcing the creation of a journal dedicated to AI. The special report, written by researchers from Microsoft, outlined potential medical […]
Could Earlier Initiation of HPV Vaccine Boost Immunization in Adolescents?
Teenagers had better vaccine coverage against human papillomavirus (HPV) if they were vaccinated at earlier ages as older children instead of early adolescents, a retrospective study showed. Early initiators vaccinated at age 9 or 10 were, compared with those who initiated at ages 11 to 12, more likely to complete the HPV vaccine series by […]
CDC Details Abysmal COVID Vaccination Rate in Youngest Kids
COVID-19 vaccination coverage in kids ages 6 months to 4 years was exceedingly low in the 6 months following FDA’s authorization last June, CDC data showed. Through the end of 2022, only 10.1% of children in this age group had received at least one dose of Moderna or Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine, and just 5.1% had […]
AMA Delegates Spar Over Medicaid Coverage for Undocumented Pregnant Women
CHICAGO — Medicaid coverage for undocumented pregnant women, as well as those up to 12 months’ postpartum, garnered intense debate at a Sunday reference committee hearing during the virtual American Medical Association (AMA) special meeting of its House of Delegates. The debate came during a discussion of a resolution from the Medical Student Section asking […]
Health Insurance Coverage Stable in 2020, Despite Pandemic
Rates of health insurance coverage remained mostly stable during the pandemic, with an estimated 1.6 million more Americans gaining coverage in 2020, according to an early release from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). From 2019 to 2020, the uninsured rate dropped from an estimated 10.3% (33.2 million) to 9.7% (31.6 million), a non-significant […]