Biden's fragile legacy on health care

By Caitlin Owens and Adriel Bettelheim - President Biden — who was propelled into office in no small part by his health care agenda — realized Democrats' decades-long dream of allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, and came closer to achieving his party's equally elusive goal of universal health coverage than any other Democratic president before him. Read Full Article…

HVBA Article Summary

1. Fragile Legacy Amid Rising Costs: Despite historic achievements in health care, President Biden's legacy remains vulnerable to future political shifts and judicial decisions. Rising medical costs continue to overshadow these accomplishments, posing a significant concern for many Americans.

2. Key Health Care Initiatives: Biden's presidency included significant health care measures such as lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, expanding health coverage, reviving the cancer "moonshot," and issuing executive orders to protect abortion access. However, many of these initiatives face potential reversals under future administrations.

3. Expansion of Health Coverage: Biden's efforts to expand health coverage, particularly through enhanced subsidies for marketplace coverage and Medicare drug price negotiations, have significantly reduced the uninsured rate. However, these gains are at risk if subsidies expire and Medicaid rolls continue to be pared post-pandemic.

Global IT outage takes down health system EHRs, forces hospitals to cancel or delay services

By Heather Landi - A widespread global IT outage impacted health systems, hospitals and clinics as electronic health record software has been knocked offline, forcing providers to cancel or delay non-emergency procedures and services. Read Full Article…

HVBA Article Summary

1. Widespread Impact on Various Industries: The global IT outage caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike affected multiple sectors, including emergency 911 call centers, banks, media companies, and airlines. Thousands of flights were canceled, and significant disruptions were reported across the U.S.

2. Healthcare Industry Disruption: The outage notably impacted the healthcare sector, with many hospitals and medical centers reporting issues accessing clinical systems, patient health records, and scheduling. Some institutions had to suspend non-urgent medical visits and procedures, highlighting the vulnerability of healthcare systems to IT failures, even when not caused by security incidents or cyberattacks.

3. Swift Response and Recovery Efforts: Despite the disruption, healthcare providers, including Epic and various health systems like Mass General Brigham and Kaiser Permanente, quickly activated backup systems and protocols to minimize patient care impact. Analysts suggest that non-profit hospitals may experience short-term disruptions but are expected to resume normal operations swiftly.

Fewer US adults put off seeking medical care due to cost during Covid, study finds

By Maia Anderson - It’s common for patients to delay or skip medical care due to high costs in the US—but data shows that fewer adults have done so in recent years. Between 2019 and 2022, the percentage of adults who reported delaying or skipping care fell to 9.7% (about 19 million people), down from 12.1% (about 24 million people), according to an early July study conducted by think tank the Urban Institute. Read Full Article…

HVBA Article Summary

1. Increased Insurance Coverage and Health Impact: Federal policies during the Covid-19 pandemic significantly increased the number of insured adults in the US. This rise in coverage had a positive impact on public health, particularly for those with chronic conditions, by reducing financial barriers and making healthcare more accessible. As a result, the percentage of uninsured adults dropped from 14.5% in 2019 to 12.4% in 2022.

2. Key Policies and Reductions in Care Delays: The study identified three main factors that contributed to cost reduction and increased healthcare access: Medicaid’s continuous coverage requirement, larger Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace premium tax credits under the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and Medicaid expansions in several states. These policies led to approximately 5 million fewer adults delaying or skipping care and a decrease in patients skipping prescriptions due to cost, from 9.8% in 2019 to 7.5% in 2022.

3. Significant Benefits for Low-Income Households and Medicaid Expansion States: Households earning less than 138% of the federal poverty level and residents in states that expanded Medicaid saw the greatest benefits. The percentage of low-income households delaying or skipping care fell from 20.3% to 14.9%, and in seven Medicaid-expanded states, the percentage of people reporting delayed or foregone care fell by 36%. However, the end of the continuous coverage requirement in April 2023 and the potential expiration of enhanced marketplace premium tax credits after 2025 pose challenges to sustaining these gains.

House committee tells FDA to suspend lab developed test rule

By Nick Paul Taylor - Lawmakers have told the Food and Drug Administration to suspend efforts to implement its final rule on laboratory developed tests (LDTs). The House Appropriations Committee made the request Wednesday in legislation about funding the FDA and other federal agencies will receive in its 2025 financial year. Read Full Article…

HVBA Article Summary

1. Appropriations Bill Approval and Funding: The appropriations bill was approved by committee members with a close vote of 29-26, allocating $3.5 billion in direct appropriations to the FDA. Alongside the funding, lawmakers provided specific recommendations on how the FDA should utilize the funds, emphasizing the need to suspend work on the final rule for laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) and to collaborate with Congress to modernize LDT regulations.

2. Concerns About the Final Rule: Lawmakers expressed concerns that the final rule on LDTs could significantly alter the United States' laboratory testing infrastructure and limit patient access to crucial healthcare information. They highlighted that the rule represents a major shift in LDT regulation, introducing changes not seen since 1988, and underscored the need for careful consideration and modernization of the regulatory framework in partnership with Congress.

3. Regulatory Changes and Legal Challenges: The FDA's enforcement discretion approach to LDTs, which are tests designed and used within a single laboratory, was replaced in April with a final rule categorizing LDTs as medical devices, subject to stricter review. This regulatory change followed unsuccessful congressional efforts to clarify the framework. The FDA's move has faced criticism and legal challenges, with the American Clinical Laboratory Association suing to overturn the rule, alleging the FDA overstepped its authority.

How to Avoid Jumping to Conclusions

By Steve Keating - There’s a lot of good that comes from jumping. Jumping to catch a baseball as it’s going over the outfield wall can get you on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Jumping to get out of the way of an oncoming train can be literally life-saving. And then of course there is my personal favorite, jumping for joy. I mean, really, who doesn’t like joy? Read Full Article…

HVBA Article Summary

1. The Dangers of Jumping to Conclusions: Jumping to conclusions can lead to misinformation and erroneous beliefs, as demonstrated by the immediate reactions to the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump. People quickly formed opinions and shared them online without verifying facts, leading to widespread confusion and false narratives. This example underscores the importance of critical thinking and fact-checking before forming and sharing opinions.

2. Impact on Personal and Professional Life: Making decisions based on premature conclusions can be costly and damaging both professionally and personally. In business, decisions made without sufficient information can lead to poor outcomes and missed opportunities. In personal relationships, acting on assumptions without proper understanding can cause unnecessary conflicts and even end relationships prematurely.

3. Strategies for Better Decision-Making: To avoid the pitfalls of jumping to conclusions, it’s essential to gather all relevant information, consider multiple perspectives, and question assumptions. Delaying judgment, seeking concrete evidence, reflecting on past experiences, and engaging in critical thinking are crucial steps. Additionally, discussing issues with others and being self-aware can help ensure more accurate and thoughtful decision-making, ultimately leading to better outcomes.

A discontinued asthma medication has patients scrambling, some to the ER

By Alan Yu - When Jacqueline Vakil needed a refill for Flovent, her 4-year-old son’s asthma medicine, she couldn’t get it. The drugmaker GSK had stopped making the popular inhaler, back in January. To make matters worse, Vakil’s insurance provider wouldn’t cover the alternative drug their doctor suggested. Read Full Article…

HVBA Article Summary

1. Persistent Struggle to Find Suitable Medication: Parents like Vakil spent countless hours on the phone with doctors, pharmacists, and insurance companies trying to find a suitable asthma medication for their children after the discontinuation of Flovent. The replacement suggestions, such as dry powder inhalers, were often ineffective or impractical for young children, leading to prolonged frustration and feelings of helplessness.

2. Severe Health Consequences: The lack of effective asthma medication resulted in severe health consequences for children like James and Trey. Trey, for instance, ended up in the ICU after an asthma attack, highlighting the critical nature of timely and effective medication. Reports from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia indicate a 50% increase in ICU admissions for asthma and a troubling rise in asthma-related deaths, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

3. Complex Causes and Systemic Issues: The discontinuation of Flovent by GSK was driven by a new law penalizing significant price increases for Medicaid drugs. Pharmacy benefit managers, aiming to reduce healthcare costs, chose not to cover the more expensive generic alternatives, leading to a negotiation stalemate. This systemic issue, combined with the shortages of alternative drugs, created a nationwide crisis impacting many families, although some improvements have been noted with changes in Medicaid programs and private insurance policies.

DOL Launches New Online Filing System for Abandoned Plans

By Alex Ortolani - The Department of Labor launched a new online system for qualified plan termination administrators to “more efficiently” submit information for individual account retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans, that have been abandoned. Read Full Article…

HVBA Article Summary

1. Introduction of a New Online System: The Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has launched a new online system to enhance the efficiency of the Abandoned Plan Program, which has been in place since 2006. This program facilitates benefit distributions to participants and beneficiaries of retirement plans abandoned by sponsoring companies. The online system aims to streamline the process, which was previously managed through email and paper-based communication, by providing a user-friendly, one-stop platform for qualified termination administrators to submit necessary information.

2. Expansion to Chapter 7 Bankruptcies: Effective July 16, 2024, the Abandoned Plan Program has been extended to include companies undergoing Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This amendment allows trustees and their designees to select and compensate themselves for services related to the termination and winding up of bankrupt companies' retirement plans. Lisa Gomez, assistant secretary for employee benefits security, highlighted that this new tool will facilitate plan terminations and benefit distributions to the beneficiaries owed these funds.

3. Feedback and Recommendations from the American Retirement Association (ARA): On July 16, the American Retirement Association (ARA) submitted a comment letter to the EBSA, supporting the program changes but also recommending further amendments. The ARA suggested broadening the eligibility criteria for plan asset custodians beyond those who have served as bankruptcy trustees in the past five years. Additionally, the ARA proposed revising the rule regarding the $2,000 threshold for delinquent contributions, arguing that it should consider the costs of administrative fees and filing claims, thus promoting more efficient plan terminations and reducing fees for participants.

High-Fiber Foods Release Appetite-Suppressing Gut Hormone

By Marilynn Larkin - A high-fiber diet affects small intestine metabolism, spurring release of the appetite-suppressing gut hormone peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY) more than a low-fiber diet, and it does so regardless of the food's structure, new research revealed. Read Full Article…

HVBA Article Summary

1. Study Design: Researchers conducted a randomized crossover study involving 10 healthy volunteers. Each participant followed three distinct diets for four days each: high-fiber intact foods (e.g., peas and carrots), high-fiber foods with disrupted structures (mashed or blended), and low-fiber processed foods. Diets were energy- and macronutrient-matched, but only the high-fiber diets were fiber-matched (46.3-47.9 grams daily), while the low-fiber diet contained 12.6 grams of daily fiber. A washout period of at least a week, during which participants reverted to their normal diet, separated each dietary phase.

2. Sampling and Measurements: Researchers used nasoenteric tubes to collect chyme from the participants' distal ileum in a fasted state and every 60 minutes for 480 minutes postprandially on days 3 and 4. They measured the release of gut hormones PYY and GLP-1 and confirmed findings using ileal organoids. Participants also reported their postprandial hunger using a visual analog scale.

3. Outcome Analysis: The primary outcome was the comparison of PYY and GLP-1 release between the different diets. Both high-fiber diets increased PYY release compared to the low-fiber diet during the 0-240-minute postprandial period, with significant effects observed at 120 minutes. Additionally, participants reported less hunger with high-fiber diets at 120 minutes. The study also examined ileal stachyose and amino acids, finding that the di

   srupted high-fiber diet increased certain ileal amino acids. Treating ileal organoids with ileal fluids or an amino acid and stachyose mixture similarly stimulated PYY expression.

The future of financial wellness: 47% of employers will offer by 2026

By Lynn Cavanaugh - There's a definite shift toward employers offering financial wellness offerings to their employees, and nearly half (47%) of employers will offer the benefit by 2026, said a panel of retirement industry experts. Read Full Article…

HVBA Article Summary

1. Increasing Coverage and Equalizing Benefits Across Markets: The report projects that by 2026, retirement plan coverage in the under-100 employee market will match the coverage seen in the 100+ employee market. This indicates a significant expansion of retirement benefits to smaller businesses, ensuring broader access to financial wellness programs across different company sizes.

2. Expansion of Financial Well-Being Benefits: Transamerica's findings suggest a notable increase in the variety of financial well-being benefits offered by employers. More than 50% of employers are expected to provide student loan repayment programs, and additional benefits such as mortgage or rent assistance and credit improvement initiatives will become more common. These enhancements aim to address a broader spectrum of employees' financial needs.

3. Emergency Savings Fund Mechanisms: The report highlights that over 40% of employers will offer an emergency savings fund mechanism as part of their financial wellness programs. This addition is designed to help employees manage unforeseen expenses and improve their overall financial security, reflecting a growing recognition of the importance of emergency savings in employee financial well-being strategies.