Health Affairs This Week

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Frank McStay of Duke Margolis Institute for Health Policy to discuss the results of a recent CMS report that explores the impacts of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in 2023 and beyond. Health Affairs’s Research and Justice For All podcast returns for its second season, focusing on drivers of health.Bookmark Health Affairs Forefront to keep an eye out for future articles from guest Frank McStay and colleagues. Related Articles:PRESS RELEASE: Medicare Shared Savings Program Continues to Deliver Meaningful Savings and High-Quality Health CareBuilding On CMS's Accountable Care Vision To Improve Care For Medicare Beneficiaries (Health Affairs Forefront)Do Teams Work Better Than Solo Providers? Spoiler Alert: Yes (A Health Podyssey)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Jason Resendez, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, to discuss the recent finalization of CMS's 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and how these policies will impact family caregivers and the integration of these individuals into the health care system.  Health Affairs’s Research and Justice For All podcast returns for its second season, focusing on drivers of health. Check out the first episode.  Check out the 200th episode of A Health Podyssey featuring Leemore Dafny of the Harvard Business School discussing vertical integration.  Join Health Affairs on November 20 for a virtual event with John Bowblis examining how the loss of public health emergency funds challenges the financial viability of nursing homes.Related Articles:PRESS RELEASE: HHS Finalizes Physician Payment Rule Strengthening Person-Centered Care and Health Quality Measures 11/20/2024: Caregiver Nation Summit (Agenda and Virtual Attendance Options)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Zachary Baron of Georgetown University's O'Neill Institute to discuss what the outcome of the 2024 US Presidential Election could mean for future health care decisions.Order the November 2024 issue of Health Affairs with a focus on health insurance, pharmaceuticals, and more. Check out a recent episode of A Health Podyssey featuring author Janice Jhang discussing her recent paper from the November 2024 issue that explores how regulatory and market forces are driving adoption of biosimilars.Join Health Affairs on November 20 for a virtual event with Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad and author John Bowblis examining how the loss of public health emergency funds challenges the financial viability of nursing homes. Related Articles from Zachary Baron:New Lawsuit Threatens Affordable Care Act’s Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions (Health Affairs Forefront)Supreme Court Overrules Chevron Doctrine: Ripple Effects Across Health Care (Health Affairs Forefront)Another Administration Win In Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Lawsuits (Health Affairs Forefront)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Deputy Editor Rob Lott back to the program to discuss the 2024 election on the state level with ballot initiatives focused on reproductive health, cannabis restrictions, Medicaid work requirements, and more.Check out our upcoming events:11/7/2024 - BRIEFING: Financial Integration of Medicare and Medicaid: Necessary But Not Sufficient (Open to All)11/20/2024 - JOURNAL CLUB: Nursing Home Financial Stability and Funding Challenges (Health Affairs Insiders Exclusive Event)Related Articles:HEALTH POLICY BRIEF: Direct Democracy And Population Health: Making Health Policy Through State Ballot Initiatives (Health Affairs)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack back to the program to discuss the current state of retail clinics within retailers such as Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart, the challenges these operations have faced, and what the future implications for consumers might be as some retailers shutter some arms of these operations. Check out our 2024 Election Collection available from Health Affairs with featured paywalled content made available for $39.95.Related Articles:Why Retail Health Clinics Failed (Harvard Business Review)Why Walmart, Walgreens, CVS retail health clinic experiment is struggling (CNBC)CVS and Walgreens are ailing. Here’s why (NPR)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Ellen Bayer to the program to take a closer look at the health care-related topics tied to the upcoming US presidential election. The two cover home care, reproductive health, drug pricing, and more throughout their conversation.RSVP for our upcoming Journal Club Event on 10/21 featuring an examination on the timing of new drug launches in low-, middle-, and high-income markets from 1982 to 2024.Check out our 2024 Election Collection available from Health Affairs with featured paywalled content made available for $39.95.This week, Forefront debuted a new series focusing on "Ethics and Health System Change." The first article from M Gregg Bloche can be read here and information about submitting articles for the symposium can be found through our submission portal. Related Articles:Eye on The IRA series (Health Affairs)2024 Election Collection (Health Affairs)PBMs. What Are They Hiding? w/ Stacie Dusetzina (Health Affairs This Week)Rachel Sachs Explains the FTC's Pharmacy Benefit Manager Lawsuit & PBM Reform (Health Affairs This Week)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the program to discuss Medicare open enrollment, the newly-announced 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings, and how large insurance companies may be scaling back Medicare Advantage product offerings. Check out the October 2024 issue of Health Affairs.RSVP for our upcoming Journal Club Event on 10/21 featuring an examination on the timing of new drug launches in low-, middle-, and high-income markets from 1982 to 2024.Check out our 2024 Election Collection available from Health Affairs with featured paywalled content made available for $39.95. In preparation of our November 2024, explore a new ahead-of-print article from Gary Claxton and coauthors on employer strategies for covering GLP-1 agonists, mental health, substance use, and other family benefits as employer-sponsored health insurance premiums continue to increase.Related Articles:PRESS RELEASE FROM CMS NEWSROOM: 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star RatingsMedicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits: Origins, Evolution, And Issues For Policy Making (Health Affairs Forefront)

This episode was originally published on June 14, 2024.Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Michael Chernew to discuss the recently released National Health Expenditures Projections for 2023–32 from the Office of the Actuary (OACT) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).Join us for these upcoming events:6/18/24 - Journal Club: “Community Power-Building Groups And Public Health NGOs: Reimagining Public Health Advocacy”7/10/24 - Lunch and Learn: Supreme Court Wrap-UpRelated Articles:National Health Expenditure Projections, 2023–32: Payer Trends Diverge As Pandemic-Related Policies Fade (Health Affairs)National Health Expenditure Data from CMS

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers is joined by Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Rachel Sachs of Washington University, St. Louis to discuss a recent lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against the three largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the country for rebating practices that the FTC claims resulted in inflating the list price of insulin.Health Affairs just released an Election 2024 resource hub for research and studies associated with key issues in the upcoming US presidential election. Related Articles:PBMs. What Are They Hiding? w/ Stacie Dusetzina (Health Affairs This Week)FTC sues major pharmacy benefit managers over insulin prices (Healthcare Dive)The Implications Of Rutledge v. PCMA For State Health Care Cost Regulation (Health Affairs Forefront)

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Brad Ryan, MD, Chief Growth Officer at NCQA, to the program to discuss the evolving state of EHRs, who owns the data, whether providers are excited about data standards, and what opportunities could be out there as health care embraces more digital efforts and arrangements.Health Affairs released an ahead-of-print article this week by Gillian K. SteelFisher and coauthors examining the public awareness and perceptions of Paxlovid as well as discovering that a majority of Americans have limited awareness of the at-home COVID-19 treatment. Order the September 2024 issue of Health Affairs.Related Articles:Digital Quality Transition Hub from NCQAElectronic health records giant Epic Systems sued over alleged monopolistic practices (Stat+)