Health Affairs This Week

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Andrew Twinamatsiko of O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law back to the program to discuss pharmacy benefit managers, the laws around PBMs, the statutes in place from the Express Scripts Inc. v. Richmond case, and more.Next week, Health Affairs will be releasing a new theme issue focusing on insights from the opioids crisis. Subscribe to the journal to never miss out on an upcoming issue.Join us for these upcoming events:9/3: Theme Issue Briefing: Insights About The Opioid Crisis (FREE TO ALL)9/17: Lunch & Learn: The Current Opioids Policy Landscape & What’s Ahead (FREE TO ALL)Related Articles:Arkansas PBM law could spur lookalike restrictions (Axios)Express Scripts Inc et al v. Richmond et al (Judicial Publications)PBM lobby sues Arkansas over law requiring drug middlemen to sell pharmacies (Healthcare Dive)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the pod to take a look at recent news that HHS terminated 22 mRNA projects. The two explore the agency's reasoning, political and Wall Street reactions, and what it could mean for health care innovation.Join us for these upcoming events:8/26: Provider Prices in the Commercial Sector: Independent Dispute Resolution (FREE TO ALL)9/3: Theme Issue Briefing: Insights About The Opioid Crisis (FREE TO ALL)9/17: Lunch & Learn: The Current Opioids Policy Landscape & What’s Ahead (FREE TO ALL)9/23: Prior Authorization: Current State and Potential Reform (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events like the ones highlighted above.Related Articles:HHS abandons mRNA vaccine research (BioPharma Dive)1 big thing: RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine revolution (Axios)Moderna Stock Jumps as NIH Chief Tempers Administration’s Attack on mRNA (Barron's)750 HHS employees send signed letter to RFK Jr. asking him to stop spreading misinformation (ABC News)Industry frets Kennedy’s mRNA decision will curb cancer breakthroughs (Politico Pro)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Dr. Aaron Carroll, President and CEO of AcademyHealth, to the pod to discuss his recent Forefront article that takes a closer look at the disappearance of public health information and how this could have an impact on infrastructures that scientists, clinicians, health policy makers, and community leaders rely on daily. Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters.Related Links:AcademyHealth Situation ReportsPRESS RELEASE: AcademyHealth Joins Lawsuit to Restore Public Health Data Removed from Federal WebsitesBecome an AcademyHealth Member

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Ryan Golden, Senior Reporter at HR Dive, to the pod to discuss workforce trends within the health care space pertaining to artificial intelligence, recruitment, overtime eligibility requirements, pay transparency, noncompete agreements, remote work, RTO policies, and more.This week, Health Affairs released their second Insider trend report focusing on the health care workforce, titled "The Health Care Workforce: A Challenge In Sustainability."Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters. Related Links:HR DiveTracker: A running list of states and localities that require employers to disclose pay or pay ranges (HR Dive)Tracker: A running list of states and localities that regulate AI in hiring (HR Dive)Event: The HR Dive 2026 open enrollment and total rewards playbook

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad to the pod to discuss the Forefront series, Supplemental Benefits In Medicare Advantage, and how articles from the series elaborated on issues such as challenges in understanding and accessing benefits, CMS requirements to collect encounter data, the intersection of MA supplemental benefits with Medicaid long-term services and supports, and more. Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events, our recent trend report on AI in health care, and monthly newsletters from authors such as Stacie Dusetzina, David Simon, Brent Fulton, and others.Upcoming Insider Exclusive Events include:6/17: Risk Adjustment Trends & Reform with J. Michael McWilliams7/9: Supreme Court Wrap-Up with moderator Sara Rosenbaum joined by panelists William Sage, Barak Richman, and Renee LandersView all Upcoming Events.Related Articles:The People SayFlex Cards In Medicare Advantage: A Closer Look At Impact and Challenges (Health Affairs Forefront)Medicare Advantage And Supplemental Long-Term Services And Supports: A Small Step In The Right Direction (Health Affairs Forefront)Time To Reexamine The Role Of Supplemental Benefits In Medicare Advantage (Health Affairs Forefront)Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits: Origins, Evolution, And Issues For Policy Making (Health Affairs Forefront)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Katie Keith of Georgetown Law back to the pod to discuss the House Republican budget reconciliation legislation and what impacts this legislation could have on the Affordable Care Act market, Medicaid beneficiaries, health savings accounts, Medicare, and more.Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events, our recent trend report on AI in health care, and monthly newsletters from authors such as Stacie Dusetzina, David Simon, Laura Tollen, and others.Related Articles:The House Republican Budget Reconciliation Legislation: Unpacking The ICHRA And HSA Changes (Health Affairs Forefront)Health Policy At A CrossroadsTrump tax bill will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and leave 10.9 million more uninsured, CBO says (AP News)Expansions to Health Savings Accounts in House Budget Reconciliation: Unpacking the Provisions and Costs to Taxpayers (KFF)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the program to discuss the Food and Drug Administration's recent announcement to scale a generative artificial intelligence across its center in the future.Health Affairs released their first Insider trend report. The report focuses on AI in health care and you can get full access to this report by becoming an Insider. Insiders also will receive access to our June 17 event on risk adjustment trends and our July 7 event featuring a wrap-up of the recent Supreme Court session.Related Links:FDA's plan to roll out AI agencywide raises questions (Axios)PRESS RELEASE: FDA Announces Completion of First AI-Assisted Scientific Review Pilot and Aggressive Agency-Wide AI Rollout Timeline

On May 13, A Health Podyssey's Rob Lott chatted with Andrew Ryan of Brown University about his paper in the May 2025 edition of Health Affairs that explores how Rhode Island's affordability standards impacted hospital prices and insurance premiums. Order the May 2025 issue of Health Affairs.Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support, we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcasts free for everyone.

In this engaging discussion, Christina Farr—an advisor, investor, and editor-in-chief of Second Opinion Media—dives into the revitalizing landscape of digital health. She highlights the significance of recent IPOs from Omada Health and Hinge Health, exploring how they could reshape the market. Farr emphasizes the vital role of storytelling in attracting investors and differentiating innovative health solutions. Additionally, she delves into the challenges of promoting healthy behaviors and the evolving dynamics of employer-driven digital health solutions.

Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Thomas Buchmueller of the University of Michigan to discuss his recent paper that explores how during the Medicaid 'Unwinding' of 2023, the reduction in Medicaid-paid prescriptions was offset by increased commercial coverage.Order the May 2025 issue of Health Affairs.Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support, we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcast