|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Weekly Health Policy Round Up From Health Affairs
March 22, 2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THIS WEEK ON THE BLOGCOVID-19
Coronavirus Responders Deserve Better
By Brian C. Castrucci and Monica Valdes Lupi (3/19/20)
Maybe the disruption caused by COVID-19 will finally be enough to help us recognize that continued cuts to public health infrastructure jeopardize not only our health but also our economy and our very way of life. Read More >>
Health Justice Strategies To Combat COVID-19: Protecting Vulnerable Communities During A Pandemic
By Emily A. Benfer and Lindsay F. Wiley (3/19/20)
Ultimately, the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of ensuring that all members of society have the ability to benefit from and comply with public health measures. Unless and until federal, state, and local governments dedicate the resources necessary to comprehensively address the root causes of poor health
and poverty, health justice will remain unattainable, harming every member of our society. Read More >>
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act Is Necessary But Not Sufficient—Here’s What Congress Should Do Next
By Erica Turret, Abbe R. Gluck, Adam Beckman, Suhas Gondi, Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, Sara Rosenbaum, Ruth J. Katz, Kavita Patel, Brendan G. Carr, Christen Linke Young, Elizabeth Fowler, Megan L. Ranney, and Howard P. Forman (3/18/20)
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act makes important progress, and the president should sign it into law immediately. At the same time, there is urgent need for further government action. Critical populations not included in this bill—including the thousands of students now home from campus and individuals in short-term health plans—need to be addressed. Read More >>
How To Stand Behind Frontline Health Care Workers Fighting Coronavirus
By Adam L. Beckman, Suhas Gondi, and Howard P. Forman (3/18/20)
Our frontline health care workforce is among our most precious assets in this fight. We cannot protect the public without protecting them. Read More >>
American Hospital Capacity And Projected Need For COVID-19 Patient Care
By Thomas C. Tsai, Benjamin H. Jacobson,
and Ashish K. Jha (3/17/20)
We are at an inflection point and clearly do not have the capacity to care for our population of COVID-19 patients if the infections occur quickly and there is a spike in acutely ill patients. However, spreading the disease out, and providing new strategies to expand the number of beds and the workforce, can help ensure that we get through this difficult period.
Read More >>
Opportunities To Expand Telehealth Use Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic
By Jared Augenstein (3/16/20)
Telehealth offers unique capacity for remote screening, triage, and treatment, and it could be a powerful tool for reducing transmission of coronavirus to and among health care workers and patients. Read More
>>
Unpacking The Coverage Provisions In The House Coronavirus Bill
By Katie Keith (3/16/20)
On March 14, 2020, the US House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, a relief package with bipartisan support, by a vote of 363 to 40. The multi-billion dollar legislation, which was negotiated by Speaker
Nancy Pelosi and the Trump administration, is expected to be taken up by the US Senate soon. This legislation builds on a separate coronavirus spending package from early March that authorized $8.3 billion in emergency funds to address the crisis. Read More >>
CONSIDERING HEALTH SPENDING
Getting Value Right: The Case For Indirect Benefits
By Mike Ciarametaro, Lisabeth Buelt, and Robert W. Dubois (3/19/20)
As payers, purchasers, and policy makers assess the value of new treatments—and subsequently determine the level of access patients will have to them—it’s important that they take a comprehensive approach to measuring value. Read More >>
Want To Make The Nation More Prepared To Fight Contagious Diseases? Expand Paid Sick Leave
By Brian C. Castrucci and John Auerbach (3/17/20)
National paid sick leave should be a critical component of our country’s strategy to fight contagious diseases. Read More >>
HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
CMS Finalizes New Interoperability Rule For QHPs, Other Insurers
By Katie Keith
(3/20/20)
This post is limited to the final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and focuses on the impact on payers, including insurers that offer qualified health plans under the Affordable Care Act. Read More >>
ACCESS TO CARE
It’s Time To Take Patient Experience Measurement And Reporting To A New Level: Next Steps For Modernizing And Democratizing National Patient Surveys
By Rick Evans, Shari Berman, Esther Burlingame, and Stephanie Fishkin (3/16/20)
We highlight the major improvements needed to modernize national patient experience surveys, to improve the content, administration, and analysis, and to democratize them, by making the data more accessible and understandable to all health care stakeholders.
Read More >>
MEDICARE
Competitive Physician Prices In Fee-For-Service Medicare
By Bryan Dowd, Roger Feldman, and Robert Coulam (3/18/20)
Competitive pricing would enable traditional Medicare to operate more efficiently, and it could encourage commercial insurers to abandon inefficient benefit designs. Read More >>
HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION
Knowing Better, Doing Better: A New Strategy For Health Professionals’ Education
By Holly J. Humphrey (3/18/20)
The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, a national funder focused on education of health professionals, has unveiled its new strategic plan. Its president provides some insights here. Read
More >>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About Health Affairs
Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewed journal at the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update.
Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981.
Copyright © Project HOPE: The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.
Health Affairs, 7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814, United States
Privacy Policy
|
|
|
|
|
