The No Surprises Act, a federal law that went into effect in January 2021, outlaws surprise medical bills of the type that occurred when patients were treated by an out-of-network physician at a facility in their health plan. Furthermore, in his first term President Trump issued an executive order requiring hospitals to post prices. The problem is that hospitals are finding new ways to spring surprise medical bills on patients.
Category: Policy & Legislation
Friday Links
- More US pharmacies closed than opened in 2018-2021.
- The most promising solution to antibiotic resistance comes from Komodo dragons – they almost never get infected.
- Why the Social Security Fairness Act is anything but fair.
- Can the murder of UHC CEO Bryan Thompson be blamed on Obamacare?
- A recent Federal Trade Commission report detailed 300 instances in which large PBMs favored a medication that cost at least $500 more per claim than a safe, cheaper alternative.
- The case for more clinical trials.
Thursday Links
- In New York City, where wealthy families will stop at nothing for their children in a competitive private school system, elite tutors earn as much as $1 million a year.
- A first-of-its-kind bee vaccine.
- $1 million bet: Did the COVID mRNA vaccines save more lives than they killed?
- Against sports betting.
- Four ways to make government more efficient.
Wednesday Links
- “The study found that cold killed 17.4 people for every person killed by heat.”
- Trump: Ignore a lot of RFK Jr.’s past statements.
- The prices paid in 2019 by Blue Cross Blue Shield health plans in hospital outpatient departments were double those paid in physician offices for biologics, chemotherapies, and other infused cancer drugs,
- Novartis announced that its new gene therapy cancer treatment (Kymriah) will cost $475,000 for the one-time infusion. There is no charge if the treatment doesn’t work.
- The case for vaccines.
- The evolution of managed care: form doctor/hospital run HMOs to AI.