Industry news
Medicare Advantage plans brace for final controversial risk adjustment rule by Feb. 1
Fierce Healthcare
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are bracing for a final rule that could overhaul the risk adjustment process and may leave them on the hook for errors going back more than a decade. Plans have circled Feb. 1 as the date they expect the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to publish the final Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) rule.
Amazon launches a subscription prescription drug service
AP News
Amazon is adding a prescription drug discount program to its growing health care business. The retail giant said Tuesday that it will launch RxPass, a subscription service for customers who have Prime memberships. Amazon said people will pay $5 a month to fill as many prescriptions as they need from a list of about 50 generic medications, which are generally cheaper versions of brand-name drugs.
Group asks CMS to issue interim final rule to preserve telehealth access
In pursuit of reliable telehealth access for Medicare beneficiaries, the Alliance for Connected Care wrote a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting an interim final rule (IFR) to ensure that access to some Medicare telehealth services is not eliminated soon after the public health emergency (PHE) ends.
These states tried an Obamacare public option. It hasn't worked as planned.
Politico
An early look at Washington, Colorado and Nevada show their plans to provide more affordable coverage to hundreds of thousands of people aren't working out as hoped.
The evolving business of virtual second opinions
Axios
There are few things more stressful than getting a serious medical diagnosis, but pandemic-era changes in virtual care are prompting more patients to obtain a second opinion without leaving home.
Experiences with health care access, cost, and coverage: Findings from the 2022 KFF women's health s
KFF
This report presents findings from the 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey (WHS) on women's health status, use of health care services, and costs. The WHS is a nationally representative survey of 5,145 self-identified women ages 18 to 64, conducted May 10-June 7, 2022.
Study: High-deductible plan enrollees less likely to receive substance use treatment
Becker's Payer Issues
Enrollees in high-deductible health plans are less likely to receive treatment for substance use disorder than those with traditional plans, a new study published in the American Journal of Managed Care found. The study, published Oct. 5, analyzed OptumLabs claims data from 2007 to 2017 to compare individuals offered a high-deductible plan to those with a traditional option.