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A Weekly Health Policy Round Up From Health Affairs            

**September 27, 2020**

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FAST TRACK AHEAD OF PRINT

COVID-19

The Impact Of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Hospital Admissions In The United
States

By John D. Birkmeyer, Amber Barnato, Nancy Birkmeyer, Robert Bessler,
and Jonathan Skinner

John D. Birkmeyer and coauthors compared medical admissions trends from
February to July 2020 with trends during the same weeks in 2019. The
authors reviewed non-COVID-19 and total medical hospital admissions and
electronic medical and billing records for Sound Physicians, a large,
nationally distributed medical group specializing in hospital-based
medicine. The sample included some one million medical admissions. Read
More >>

SPONSORED BY THE HEALTHCARE ANCHOR NETWORK

IT IS UNDENIABLE: RACISM IS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. As members of the
Healthcare Anchor Network and
leaders of 39 healthcare organizations addressing the disproportionate
Black and Brown mortality of the COVID-19 pandemic, we say without
hesitation that

**Black Lives Matter.**
Systemic racism results in generational trauma and poverty, while also
unquestionably causing higher rates of illness and death in Black and
Indigenous communities and communities of color. We stand united as
frontline organizations against racism, injustice, and inaction and
commit to specific steps to
help overcome the healthcare disparities in the communities we serve.
Read the full statement .

IN THE JOURNAL

MEDICAID

Medicaid Work Requirements In Arkansas: Two-Year Impacts On Coverage,
Employment, And Affordability Of Care

By Benjamin D. Sommers, Lucy Chen, Robert J. Blendon, E. John Orav, and
Arnold M. Epstein

Benjamin Sommers and coauthors review coverage losses in Arkansas from
June 2018 to April 2019 among nonexempt Medicaid participants ages
30-49. Those within this demographic were required to work or engage
in work-related activities a minimum of 20 hours each week to maintain
coverage. Read More >>

Medicaid Expansion Improved Perinatal Insurance Continuity For
Low-Income Women

By Jamie R. Daw, Tyler N. A. Winkelman, Vanessa K. Dalton, Katy B.
Kozhimannil, and Lindsay K. Admon

Jamie Daw and coauthors analyze survey data from the 2012-17 Pregnancy
Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Their study reveals important
information about the insurance experience of low-income women in states
that expanded Medicaid across the preconception, delivery, and
postpartum time points relative to women in nonexpansion states. Read
More >>

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LEADING TO HEALTH: DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

Forged By AIDS, Storied NYC Residence Boosts Aging In Place

By Rob Waters

Rob Waters authors September's addition to our Leading to Health

series, which focuses on health system transformations. This time he
focuses on how two communities-Manhattan Plaza and Penn South, both
forged by HIV/AIDS and driven by a mission of justice-have enabled
aging in place. Read More >>

OPIOID USE DISORDER

Regulating Opioid Supply Through Insurance Coverage

By M. Christopher Auld, Jill R. Horwitz, Benjamin Lukenchuk, and Lynn
McClelland

Christopher Auld and coauthors find that requiring physicians to receive
prior authorization for OxyContin prescriptions in Manitoba, Canada,
significantly decreased OxyContin prescriptions, especially for
opioid-naïve patients, with only modest substitution of other opioids.
Read More >>

NARRATIVE MATTERS:
PHARMACEUTICALS & MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Challenges In Ensuring The Quality Of Generic Medicines

By Kevin A. Schulman

A refill of a generic attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
prescription leads to new side effects and raises questions about the
quality of generic drugs.

Read More >>

Listen to the podcast.

THIS WEEK ON THE BLOG

FOLLOWING THE ACA

Administration Health Care Executive Order

By Katie Keith (9/25/20)

On September 24, 2020, President Donald J. Trump issued a new health
care executive order. The order ostensibly focuses on protecting people
with preexisting conditions and eliminating surprise medical bills but
will have little or no immediate effect. Read More >>

After Justice Ginsburg's Loss, What A New Court Could Mean For The ACA

By Katie Keith (9/20/20)

The loss of Justice Ginsburg has led to a flood of questions about what
comes next for the Court and the country. Who will be nominated to fill
her seat? Will a new justice be seated by the time the Court is
scheduled to hear California v. Texas on November 10? How does the new
makeup of the Court, without Justice Ginsburg, affect the potential
outcome in Texas? And what is the role of Congress in addressing the
lawsuit? Read More >>

PHARMACEUTICALS AND MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Administration Finalizes Drug Importation Plans, But Legal And Practical
Questions Remain

By Rachel Sachs (9/25/20)

Yesterday, the Trump administration released a final rule aiming to
permit states or other specific actors to establish programs to import
prescription drugs from Canada. This rule is one element of the Trump
administration's broader agenda on drug pricing, but it faces several
large obstacles which are likely to derail its implementation. Read More
>>

Average International Market Pricing For US Pharmaceuticals-Lessons
From Europe

By Marc A. Rodwin (9/24/20)

While officials from both parties agree that the US should use an
international price index to cap the prices of pharmaceuticals, European
nations use their price index somewhat differently than in US proposals.
To be most effective, US proposals should be modified to reflect real
purchase prices and be employed as part of a broader cost-control
strategy. Read More >>

COVID-19

A New "PPE" For A Thriving Community: Public Health, Primary Care,
Health Equity

By John M. Westfall, Stephen Petterson, Kyu Rhee, Irene Dankwa-Mullan,
William Kassler, Amol Rajmane, and Glen Mays (9/25/20)

Public health, primary care, and health equity each have unique and
synergistic impact on a community's response to COVID-19.
Historically, primary care and public health have only tangentially
worked together. Now, however, there is growing appreciation of the need
for primary care and public health to collaborate if we hope to improve
the health of our nation. Read More >>

Four Ways To Increase Global Access To Promising Monoclonal Antibodies
For COVID-19

By Mark Feinberg and Ayesha Sitlani (9/21/20)

Making good on the commitments we propose could lead to tremendous
success not only in preventing suffering and death from the pandemic
coronavirus but also in preparing for a future in which monoclonal
antibodies may represent the most effective treatment for people
suffering from many other diseases. Read More >>

MENTAL HEALTH

City Officials Must Act Now To Prevent A Devastating Mental Health
Crisis

By Brian C. Castrucci and Tyler Norris (9/24/20)

The data reveal that an epidemic of mental illness is coming, if it's
not already here, because of COVID-19 and longstanding problems. While
these statistics suggest an increased need for treatment, that is not
enough. Counselors and clinicians are essential, but the burden cannot
just rest on them. Local government leaders can address mental health
challenges. A new report suggests many low-cost or revenue-neutral
actions that city leaders can take. Read More >>

PUBLIC HEALTH

Time For A Second Public Health Revolution: A Congressional Health
Office To Score Federal Legislation

By Kathleen Murphy and Keshia M. Pollack Porter (9/22/20)

The current times call for bold action-action that supports health
equity and that assures that every person in this country has a just and
fair opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Fundamentally changing
how federal policies are evaluated so policy is aligned with health and
well-being is an excellent place to start. Read More >>

QUALITY OF CARE

Telehealth Should Be Expanded-If It Can Address Today's Health Care
Challenges

By Shantanu Agrawal and Tejal K. Gandhi (9/23/20)

For telehealth to persist after the COVID-19 pandemic is over, policies
supporting its continued adoption and integration must focus on
measurable improvements to systemic shortcomings in health care.Read
More >>

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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.

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