Tag Archive for: What Caught Our Eye
Coronavirus and Cancer Resources for Survivors
Cancer survivors have expressed concerns and questions about COVID-19, the coronavirus, and how they may be at higher risk due to their cancer history. Here are some resources about COVID-19 generally, and its impact for cancer survivors specifically. NCCS is seeking answers from public health experts on the coronavirus and its impact on cancer patients and survivors. Please leave a comment [...]
Health Care Roundup: Drug Pricing in TV Ads; Even with Insurance, Serious Illness Can Mean Financial Distress; Fertility in Young Survivors; More
HHS Proposes Rule Requiring Drug Pricing in TV Ads – On Monday, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar announced that HHS introduced a proposed rule to require direct-to-consumer television advertisements for prescription drugs include pricing information. According to the proposed rule, drugs paid for by Medicare or Medicaid must include the list price of the drug if it costs more than $35 for a month’s supply [...]
Health Care Roundup: Patient Orgs Push Back on ‘Junk Insurance’; Rx ‘Gag Clause’ Bans; What Survivors Wish Others Understand; ACA Premiums; More
NCCS & Patient Orgs Push Back on Short-term Plans — Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would allow insurers to offer expanded short-term, limited duration plans, known as “junk insurance.” This action led NCCS to join several other national organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief in support of a lawsuit that challenges the regulation authorizing short-term health insurance plans. The amicus brief [...]
Health Care Roundup: Medicare ‘Step Therapy’ Concerns; Alternative Cancer Treatment Risks; Immunotherapy Scientists Win Nobel Prize; More
HEALTH CARE HIGHLIGHT – NCCS Submits Concerns to HHS Regarding New “Step Therapy” Plan – NCCS joined with other cancer organizations of the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the new plan announced on August 7 that gives Medicare Advantage plans the option of applying step therapy for [...]
Health Care Roundup: NCCS on Proposed OPPS Changes; Bipartisan Proposal to End ‘Surprise Billing’; Medicaid Work Req’s; Financial Toxicity Survey; More
HEALTH CARE HIGHLIGHTS—NCCS submitted a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the proposed update to the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, known as OPPS, for calendar year 2019. In the letter, NCCS addressed the proposed “site neutral” payments, which would reduce patient cost-sharing but could have other unintended consequences for patient access. NCCS also commented on [...]
Health Care Roundup: ‘Misleading’ Pre-Existing Conditions Bill; Clinical Trials Lack Black Patients; ‘Cancer Coaching’ Ethics; Young Adult Cancer Advocates
NCCS and 30+ Patient Orgs Raise Concerns Over Senate Pre-Ex Bill — This week, NCCS and more than 30 other patient advocacy organizations submitted a letter to Senator Tillis (R-NC) detailing why his bill does not go far enough in protecting pre-existing conditions despite his intentions. The bill title, “Ensuring Coverage for Patients with Pre-Existing Conditions Act” (S.3388), is misleading and, if passed, would not provide adequate coverage [...]
Health Care Roundup: Maryland, Advocacy Groups File Suits to Protect ACA; Emergency Resources for Survivors; False Hope in Precision Medicine; More
This week, the US Census Bureau released health insurance coverage estimates for 2017. Between 2016 and 2017, the overall uninsured rate did not change significantly, but 14 states experienced an increase in the number of uninsured individuals, due to poverty status or whether the state expanded Medicaid. While coverage numbers dropped in many states, the Trump Administration continues to cut ACA navigator funding, which [...]
Health Care Roundup: Texas Court Hears ACA Lawsuit; House, Senate Advance Pharmacy “Gag Clause” Bans; Long-Distance Caregiving; and More
In order to bring you the latest cancer-related health care policy and news, we at NCCS combined our ACA Updates and What Caught…
Health Care Roundup: Kasich on Medicaid Expansion Success; New Cervical Cancer Screening Choices; a Nurse’s ‘Gut Feeling’; and More
Court Throws Out KY Governor’s Medicaid Countersuit — Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin (R) lost a lawsuit against Medicaid recipients who are challenging the Governor’s attempt to implement Medicaid work requirements. Earlier this year, Bevin was also unsuccessful in moving forward with his plans in changing components of Medicaid expansion in the state when a federal court sided with the same Medicaid recipients. [...]
Health Care Roundup: ‘Junk Insurance;’ High Costs and Forgone Care; Reinsurance; Patient Safety After Hospital Mergers
Trump Admin Continues Push to Make Short-Term Health Plans More Acceptable — On Wednesday, the Trump administration made it easier for short-term plans to reach more consumers in another move to try to halt further ACA progress. While short-term plans are inexpensive, they do not cover pre-existing conditions and the range for medical services is much more limited. [...]
Health Care Roundup: “Toxic Town” in WV Battles High Cancer Rates; CMS News: Risk Adjustment, 340b, Site-Neutral Payments; Hospital Costs; More
CMS Resumes ACA Risk Adjustment Payments — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will continue payments—amounting to $10.4 billion—to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) risk-adjustment program. The program was established to ensure that risk is spread across insurance companies. Recently, in one of the many efforts to dismantle the ACA, CMS announced that it would halt the payments, [...]