WCOE: Bipartisan Health Care Deal Details; Fertility Banks Underused by Young Male Survivors; Cancer Stress; High Drug Pricing; and More

“The Senate’s new Obamacare stabilization deal, explained”

https://twitter.com/dylanlscott/status/920676149130399744

By Dylan Scott, Vox.com — We have an Obamacare stabilization deal. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, who had been working with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray for the past few months, announced it this afternoon.

This would be the gist, per the summary I obtained and conversations with lobbyists:

• Funding for cost-sharing reduction payments for the rest of 2017, 2018, and 2019
• Funding for state Obamacare outreach
• Expanded eligibility for the law’s catastrophic plans, which is currently limited to people under age 30
• Some more state flexibility under the Obamacare 1332 waiver program, streamlined approvals, and longer waiver length

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“24 senators co-sponsor bipartisan ObamaCare deal”

12 Republicans break with Trump, co-sponsor bipartisan ObamaCare deal https://t.co/9B0Y0K2yki pic.twitter.com/d5O81LWfo0

— The Hill (@thehill) October 20, 2017

By Jessie Hellmann, The Hill — The bipartisan deal to stabilize ObamaCare’s markets has 24 co-sponsors, Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) announced Thursday.

Twelve Republicans and 12 Democrats signed on to the bill, which would continue ObamaCare’s insurer subsidies for two years and give states more flexibility to waive ObamaCare rules.
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“Greenstein: Alexander-Murray Agreement an Important Step Toward Bipartisanship on Health Care”

While not perfect, the #AlexanderMurray deal is an important & necessary bipartisan step on health care: https://t.co/gQthNMWxDs

— Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) October 18, 2017

Center for Budget and Policy Priorities Statement — The agreement that Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray announced yesterday represents an important step toward bipartisan action on health care and away from damaging attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), radically overhaul and cut Medicaid, and take coverage away from tens of millions of people.
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“Sperm Banking Underutilized in Young Male Cancer Patients”

More young male #cancer patients should visit the sperm bank: https://t.co/TV4gitsREa

— Medscape (@Medscape) October 20, 2017

By Roxanne Nelson, Medscape — Fertility preservation through sperm banking is underutilized among male adolescents who have been newly diagnosed with cancer, according to a new study of these patients. Only about half of the patients involved in the study (53%) made an attempt to bank sperm, and fewer than half (44%) were successful.
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“Cancer Stress and Coping With Change”

Cancer Stress and Coping With Change https://t.co/xnc6c7b1Ai

— Barbara Tako (@BarbaraTako) October 20, 2017

By Barbara Tako, Cure — I think multi-tasking and change are harder for cancer survivors or maybe chemotherapy survivors? Feeling more fragile since cancer? Here are some coping tools that I use…
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“Cutting-edge immunotherapy treatment approved for another deadly cancer”

Cutting-edge immunotherapy treatment approved for another deadly cancer – The Washington Post https://t.co/1EVSvHAzdk

— Laurie McGinley (@lauriemcginley2) October 18, 2017

By Laurie McGinley, Washington Post — The Food and Drug Administration approved a second version of a groundbreaking treatment Wednesday that genetically alters patients’ cells to attack cancer — this time, to fight aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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“Cancer drug prices rising far faster than inflation”

Cancer drug prices rising far faster than inflation https://t.co/7ypwa1FFP4

— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) October 18, 2017

By Gene Emery, Reuters — The prices of injectable cancer drugs – even older medicines around since the 1990s – are increasing at a rate far higher than inflation, researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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“New Class of Clinical Trial Enhances Research on Cancer Care Delivery”

By Leah A Scaramuzzo, Oncology Nurse Advisor — I have heard about a new class of clinical trials called Cancer Care Delivery Research (CCDR). What is a CCDR clinical trial and how does it differ from clinical trials that test new drugs? Are nurses involved in these trials? How do I find out more?
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