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Pharma Giant Pfizer Launches Health Care Hub
Pfizer’s revenue from pharmaceuticals declined Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is getting into the health care delivery business. The company announced on August 27 the launch of PfizerforAll, an initiative to combine health care services, medication, and vaccinations through an online platform. Pfizer leads the world in pharmaceutical sales. PfizerforAll will work within the existing health care…
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Medicare is the Key to Fixing the Doctor Shortage – Commentary
By Mario H. Lopez Today, it can take weeks to see a doctor, and when patients do get in, appointments last about 15 minutes. The reason is simple. America is facing a shortage of doctors. Nearly 19 percent of the U.S. population is covered by Medicare. Declining reimbursement rates under Medicare are forcing many doctors to retire…
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Election Outcome Might Mean Big Changes in Medicaid
Some 81 million Americans are currently enrolled in Medicaid, a number that has expanded greatly since the 2010 enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which allowed states to expand Medicaid.
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Michigan Becomes Sixth State to Axe Abortion Data Collection
Despite the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calling abortion an “essential component of women’s health care,” Michigan has become the latest state to stop requiring collection of statistics on the procedure. The Reproductive Health Act, signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on November 21, 2023, amends the state’s Public Health Code to remove the requirement…
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Abortion Pill Complications Can Hike Medicaid Costs
A new study that found abortion pills lead to more ER visits than birth or surgery raises questions about who is responsible for paying for the care, a coauthor of the study states. “Approximately one in 20 women sought emergency room care for abortion-related complications within 30 days of taking abortion drugs in 2015,” Ingrid…
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Abortion Pills Lead to More ER Trips than Surgery, Birth
Chemical abortions are more likely to cause serious emergency room visits than surgical abortions or giving birth, a new study has found. The study from the Charlotte Lozier Institute found emergency department (ED) visits from 2004 to 2015 caused by the abortion pill were “significantly more likely to have a severe or critical acuity rating…
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Use of Weight Loss Drugs Costly, Widespread
As obesity rates in the United States soar, insurance companies, including Medicaid and Medicare, are facing financial headwinds to pay for prescription drugs for weight loss. Semaglutide, the generic name for Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic, is an injectable medication using GLP-1 agonists (incretin mimetic drugs) to trigger the pancreas to release the right amount of…
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Psychiatric Hospitals Hold Patients Involuntarily—for Money
In-patient mental health and drug abuse facilities across the country are holding patients involuntarily, now aided by a new Biden administration rule requiring insurers to cover the treatment equally with other hospital care. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice alleges some in-patient facilities for psychological or drug abuse problems fraudulently kept people hospitalized…
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ACA Quality of Coverage Is Getting Worse
Enrollees in Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance plans are being buffeted not just by higher premiums but also by a marked decline in the quality of coverage available to them compared to what is offered in employer-sponsored insurance, a new study states. While acknowledging many factors go into the selection of an individual health insurance…
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Man Dies After Mental Health Care Denied on Obamacare Plan
A man struggling with alcoholism died after trying unsuccessfully for months to find a mental health therapist covered by his Obamacare plan. An NPR/ProPublica report describes in depth the events preceding Ravi Coutinho’s May 2023 death, apparently from an accident involving a relapse into alcohol abuse while alone in his Phoenix apartment. Coutinho’s Ambetter plan,…
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