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: Trump Drug Pricing Plan; HHS Cuts ACA Navigator Funding; CAR-T Therapy Coverage Issues; Biosimilar News; and More
Comment Period Closed for Trump Drug Pricing Plan — Comments for the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) drug pricing proposal were due this week. The plan, introduced by the Trump administration, outlined proposals seeking to increase competition, reduce out-of-pocket costs and incentivize better negotiations for lower drug prices. NCCS joined with other organizations of the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) to provide comments [...]
Health Care Roundup: CMS Halts ACA Risk Payments, Slashes Navigator Funding; Long-Term Outcomes for Young Survivors; Drug Pricing; More
CMS Halts ACA Risk-Adjustment Payments and Cuts Funding for Health Coverage Navigators — This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced two new actions that could harm the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces and enrollment. Last Saturday, CMS announced that it would halt the risk-adjustment program, including $10 billion in payments due to insurers for costs incurred last year. [...]
Health Care Roundup: Association Health Plans and ACA Repeal; Benefits of Exercise for Childhood Survivors; NIH Grant System; and More
Association Health Plans Rule Finalized – The association health plans (AHP) rule was finalized by the Labor Department as the Trump administration continues its efforts to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through regulatory action. While marketed as a way for small businesses and trade groups to sell cheaper coverage, the rule allows plans NOT to cover the ACA’s 10 “essential health benefits.” NCCS joined with the Cancer Leadership Council [...]
Health Care Roundup: DoJ Decision Not to Defend ACA Puts Patient Protections At Risk; “Cancer Treatment Beyond Mutant-Hunting”
HEALTH CARE HIGHLIGHTS – ACA Pre-Existing Conditions Protections are at Risk – As we reported last week, the Department of Justice (DoJ) determined that it will NOT defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the lawsuit filed by the state of Texas and several other states. In fact, the DoJ is breaking with long-held legal precedent to defend laws passed by Congress. Instead, the DoJ has decided to support the legal argument of several attorneys general [...]
Health Care Roundup: DOJ Won’t Defend ACA Provisions in Court, Health Care’s Role in 2018 Midterms, and More
Administration Action Threatens Coverage for People with Pre-existing Conditions — In a court filing yesterday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that it would not defend key provisions of the Affordable Care Act in a lawsuit brought by Texas and several other states. One provision is the individual mandate, which was repealed in the tax bill passed by Congress and signed into law last December. Also at issue in the case is coverage and [...]
Health Care Roundup: Virginia to Expand Medicaid, Colorectal Screening Guidelines, How the ‘Bewildering’ Health Insurance Industry Works, and More
Virginia Votes to Expand Medicaid — Both chambers of the Virginia Legislature moved a budget bill Wednesday that would expand Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The bill would make Virginia the 33rd state to expand Medicaid under Obamacare and could lead to as many as 400,000 people being newly covered. "As a doctor, I'm so proud of the significant step we've taken together to help Virginians get quality, affordable [...]
Health Care Roundup: 2018 Cancer Status Report; Childhood Cancer STAR Act Passes; “When a Rural Hospital Shuts Down;” and More
HEALTH CARE HIGHLIGHTS – Annual Cancer Status Report Released – On Tuesday, the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer was released. This report is a collaborative effort of NCI, CDC, ACS, and NAACCR. The report includes mortality data through 2015. It shows that, from 1999 to 2015, overall cancer death rates decreased by 1.8 percent per year among men and by 1.4 percent per year among women. [...]
Health Care Roundup: Drug Pricing Plan, 2019 Premium Increases, Short-Term Plans, Medicare Mulls Covering Gene Therapies, and More
Trump Administration Promotes a Drug Pricing Plan - On Friday, May 11, 2018, President Trump announced a drug pricing blueprint to address prescription drug prices. Initial media coverage of the plan suggested that the blueprint failed to honor the President’s campaign commitment to negotiation of drug prices. Overall, the press and policymaker reaction to the plan was muted, with some suggesting that the plan would have limited impact. [...]
Cancer Policy News Roundup: Proposed Cuts to CHIP, Association Health Plans in Farm Bill, Prescribing Exercise for Cancer Patients, and More
A new weekly roundup of policy news affecting the cancer community. In order to bring you the latest cancer-related health care policy and news, we are combining our ACA Updates and What Caught Our Eye (WCOE) content into a weekly email and blog post. We aim to make this a concise, one-stop summary of what you need to know as we continue working together to make cancer care better for everyone. [...]
What Caught Our Eye: ACA Auto-Enrollment; Lack of Care Plan Implementation; Second Opinions; ‘Cancer’s New Superheroes’; More
What Caught Our Eye (WCOE) is our week-in-review blog series. “Making Heath Insurance Enrollment As Automatic As Possible” — Via Health Affairs Blog — In December 2017, the Republican Congress, working with the Trump administration, repealed the tax penalties enforcing the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate, effective in 2019. Although the degree of the mandate’s efficacy is uncertain, its repeal is sure to lead to additional Americans [...]