Health Affairs

JUST RELEASED | The November 2024 issue on Health Insurance, Pharmaceuticals & More is now available. Read the introduction from the Editor-In-Chief and explore the new issue: https://lnkd.in/gFaN7VWF

Request For Abstracts | Authors are invited to submit abstracts for upcoming theme issue on research and policy insights about the opioid crisis to be published September 2025. The submission portal will open November 12-December 2, 2024. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eN3FXP-e

In his new Forefront article, Zachary Baron of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law discusses how the Administration still maintains broad authority to manage the implementation of the No Surprises Act even in a post-Chevron landscape. "This article will examine the Fifth Circuit panel’s decision in detail, including insights into how courts approach disputed statutory provisions after the Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright overruling the Chevron doctrine. While the appeal concerned litigation brought by the Texas Medical Association (TMA) and certain air-ambulance providers, this article will call the case TMA III to distinguish it from earlier litigation brought by TMA and air-ambulance providers challenging previous regulations under the NSA." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4hGw3Rs

Luke Messac and coauthors examine how criteria variability in charity care policies in nonprofit hospitals hinders equitable access. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ee-FUVRj

In their new Forefront article, Stephanie Lee, Jesper Ke, Vahakn Shahinian, and Jim Dupree from the University of Michigan discuss how policy makers serve an important role in overseeing private equity’s ownership of clinics and hospitals. State-based policies, they write, are often models for future federal-level policies and provide a valuable perspective for analyzing the policy climate for private equity’s role in health care. "Private equity is an investment strategy in which investors take over ownership of a company and increase its value with the intention to resell it for a profit. The private-equity model is unique as it relies in part on leveraged buyouts, or high levels of debt, to purchase ownership of a target company (for example, a dermatology clinic or hospital). From there, the private-equity firm often restructures the acquired company to increase profit. After increasing the value of the acquired company, the company is sold, usually within three to seven years." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3Ce4vD4

Can we achieve equitable health outcomes through funding? Senior editor Michael Gerber explores how payers in Massachusetts leverage value-based care and pay-for-performance models to reduce health disparity. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eRr8yVUT

In their new Forefront article, Rachel Bonesteel, Sara Debab, William K. Bleser, Frank McStay, Robert S. Saunders, and Mark B. McClellan from the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy present timely guidance and recommendations for CMS on the design and implementation of REACH, informed by literature review and conversations with REACH participants and other expert stakeholders about successes, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. "ACO REACH is the largest Innovation Center model and has seen an increase in beneficiaries from GPDC’s 2.0 million in 2022 to 2.6 million in 2024, including significant increases in safety-net provider participation. It is a more advanced alternative payment model than the Center for Medicare’s (CM’s) permanent ACO model, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), offering prospective payments and global risk. Experts have noted the REACH program is a major step forward in incorporating multiple equity design and implementation elements directly into an advanced VBP model. Finally, it provides an opportunity to expand benefits available to traditional Medicare beneficiaries as an alternative to the additional benefit flexibility in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3Uy1SSP

Discover the financial integration of Medicare and Medicaid and ways federal policy can enhance care for people who are dually eligible. Join us on Thursday, November 7, from 1 PM to 2:30 PM ET. Sign up for the virtual event today! https://lnkd.in/e4hx4QMP

It is Native American Heritage Month and we are highlighting those working to advance Native and Indigenous health equity and policy. In an April 2024 article, Amy Stiffarm and coauthors discuss a collaborative strategy for engaging Tribal communities and creating an online resource guide for pregnant and parenting families in Montana. They note the importance of acknowledging Indigenous cultural strengths and ways of knowing, like “Two-Eyed Seeing.” Read the article: https://lnkd.in/d__ZNNrJ

In their new Forefront article, Esther Krofah, Morgan Hanger, Sally Okun, and Barbara E. Bierer from the Milken Institute, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and Brigham and Women's Hospital argue that the time is now to align on a shared plan of action as a country to achieve diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in US clinical trials. "This lack of representativeness in clinical trials limits our scientific knowledge of the safety and efficacy of medical products and interventions for certain populations. Furthermore, low trial participation by underrepresented patient groups limits access to the latest scientific advances for these groups, as clinical trials are increasingly part of clinical care, particularly for oncology. The discrepancy in trial participation thus further widens existing gaps in quality of care. In this article, we explain the need for a national action plan to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in US clinical trials. We outline such a plan, and we issue a call to action to all stakeholders to make progress on the goals and action steps presented below." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3UBmIRi