Health Affairs This Week

This month, HHS released the final "Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters" for 2025. This final notice sets standards and requirements for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and health insurers. Sabrina Corlette and Jason Levitis, who both co-authored a piece about the notice in Health Affairs Forefront, join Health Affairs This Week host Jeff Byers to discuss the new standards and how the ACA marketplace has matured over the years. Read the "ahead-of-print" article, "The Impact of Telemedicine on Medicare Utilization, Spending, and Quality, 2019-2022."Related Links:Final 2025 Payment Notice: Marketplace Standards and Insurance Reforms (Health Affairs Forefront)

Health Affairs This Week is back!Host Jeff Byers interviews Brent Fulton from University of California, Berkeley about the current state of antitrust and private equity in health care. Brent is an author of a special newsletter from Health Affairs Insider on antitrust and markets in health care. Subscribe to Insider to catch Brent's and our other Insider newsletters on drug pricing (from Stacie Dusetzina), health spending, and health equity.Join Insider.Related Links:Private Equity-Acquired Physician Practices and Market Penetration Increased Substantially, 2012-21 (Health Affairs)

Health Affairs' Kathleen Haddad and Rob Lott go behind the pages of the new April issue focusing on Perinatal Mental Health & Well-Being. Their conversation provides insight into what has changed since Health Affairs published their first theme issue on the subject, which featured papers left a resounding impact on the editors, and so much more.Health Affairs would like to thank Perigee Fund, the California Health Care Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Hilton Foundation, Cambia Health Foundation, and Con Alma Foundation for their financial support of this issue.Order the April 2024 Health Affairs Perinatal Mental Health & Well-Being theme issue!Related Links:Health Affairs Perinatal Mental Health & Well-Being Theme IssuePerinatal Mental Health: Father Inclusion At The Local, State, And National Levels (Video Abstract)My Story Of Trauma And Reproductive Health by Angelica Al JanabiJournal Club: “Antidepressant Prescriptions Increased For Privately Insured People With Perinatal Mood And Anxiety Disorders, 2008–2020"

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health. This is the final episode of the first season.Guest: Rashad Burgess, Vice President of Advancing Health and Black Equity at Gilead Sciences CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Rashad Burgess of Gilead Sciences about how private sector companies can advance health equity goals. They also discuss how Gilead is addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black and brown communities throughout Southern states in the US.This season is sponsored by CVS Health.Related Links:  LGBTQ+ Health Is An Essential Component of Public Health Equity Efforts (Health Affairs Forefront)  Building Community Power To Dismantle Policy-Based Structural Inequity In Population Health (Health Affairs)  About the Gilead COMPASS Initiative® (Gilead)  Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Legislation (Health Resources & Services Administration)  Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health. Guest: Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Chief Health Officer, Google  CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Karen DeSalvo of Google on how to leverage data and partnerships to drive positive, equitable health outcomes. They also discuss both the public and private sector approaches to promoting health equity.This season is sponsored by CVS Health.Related Links:  A Health System’s Experience With Inclusive Race And Ethnicity Data Collection, And The Need For Data Equity Principles (Health Affairs) Building a Clinical Team in a Large Technology Company (NEJM Catalyst)  Google is committed to health equity (Google)  Explore COVID-19 Symptoms Search Trends (Google)Med-PaLM (Google Research) Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health. Guest: Dr. Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, MD, Head of Medical and Clinical Strategy at Headway and CEO and Founder of Well Minds Psychiatry & Consulting CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Nicole Christian-Brathwaite of Headway and Well Minds Psychiatry & Consulting about the impact that mental health care disparities have had on historically marginalized communities and strategic approaches that can improve mental health outcomes.This season is sponsored by CVS Health.Related Links: Addressing The Mental Health Equity Crisis: Can The Private Sector Lead? (Health Affairs Forefront)  Headway x Violet - Improving access to inclusive mental health care (Headway) Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Data Summary & Trends Report (CDC) Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health. Guest: Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, AVP for Health Equity at Merck and Lead of Merck for Mothers CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Mary-Ann Etiebet of Merck about how to address disparities in maternal health outcomes and the contributions of the Merck for Mothers initiative.This season is sponsored by CVS Health.Related Links:  Employers Can Help Raise The Bar for Reproductive Health Equity (Health Affairs Forefront) The US Maternal Health Crisis: It’s Time To Reverse The Trend (Merck For Mothers) Improving Maternal Health Equity in the US (Safer Childbirth Cities) Maternal Health of Women and Girls of African Descent in the Americas (UNFPA) Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

This is a special publication of the first season of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health. Guest: Bryan O. Buckley, Director of Health Equity Initiatives at the National Committee for Quality AssuranceCVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Bryan O. Buckley of the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) about health equity accreditation and why collaboration with communities is key to improving health equity.This season is sponsored by CVS Health.Related Links:  Private Sector Companies Must Partner With Communities To Advance Health Equity (Health Affairs Forefront)  Community Trust And Relationships: The Key For Strengthening Public Health Systems (Health Affairs Forefront)  NCQA’s Health Equity Accreditation Programs (NCQA) HEDIS and Performance Measurement (NCQA) Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

This is a special pod of the first episode of the new Health Affairs podcast, Research and Justice For All. The first season, "Private Sector Solutions," is sponsored by CVS Health.Guest: Thomas Sequist, Chief Medical Officer at Massachusetts General BrighamIn the first episode of Research and Justice For All, CVS Health’s Sree Chaguturu and Joneigh Khaldun interview Thomas Sequist from Massachusetts General Brigham on the important role of health and hospital systems in driving health equity in the US.This season is sponsored by CVS Health.Related Links:  Beyond Research, Taking Action Against Racism (Health Affairs Forefront)  United Against Racism 2-Year Anniversary: A Reflection from Mass General Brigham’s Chief Community Health & Health Equity Officer (Massachusetts General Brigham)  Mass General Community Health (Massachusetts General Hospital)Explore the CVS Health-sponsored Health Affairs Forefront short series, “Private Sector Solutions for Health Equity.”

Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer and Rob Lott go behind the pages of the new February issue focusing on Housing and Health. Their conversation provides insight into the approach taken for this particular theme issue, the relationship between housing and health, a number of the journal articles featured and so much more.Health Affairs would like to thank Kaiser Permanente, The Colorado Health Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California Health Care Foundation, and The California Endowment, whose generous support made the theme issue possible. Order the February 2024 Health Affairs Housing and Health theme issue!Related Links:Health Affairs Housing and Health Theme IssueBreaking The Cycle of Homeless Through Art by Ryann TanapInteractive Timeline: Linden: An Ohio Neighborhood's LegacyJournal Club: “Housing-Sensitive Health Conditions Can Predict Poor Quality Housing”