Different Takes: What Medications Should, And Also Shouldn’t, Be Covered By Medicare?
Opinion writers tackle these public health issues.
Stat:
Why Medicare Shouldn’t Cover Every FDA-Approved Drug
Who among us is looking forward to getting older in 2024? Not senators (most of whom are 65 and older), the two leading presidential candidates (100% of whom are over 75), or the eight Cabinet members who are already more than 65 (growing to 10 in February). Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are younger (averaging 58 years of age), but even so, many are already over 65. (Zuckerman, 2/2)
Stat:
Why Scientists Are Rebelling Against Traditional Journal Publishers
Last spring, I joined a rebellion. The entire editorial board of the prestigious scientific journal NeuroImage, of which I was a member, resigned after its publisher refused to take steps to ease the high costs scientists are required to pay for publication in the journal. While this decision threw the brain imaging research community into a frenzy, the rest of the world barely noticed. Yet it should. The accessibility we are striving for is crucial to combat misinformation, increase the pace of discovery, and promote innovation. (Shella Keilholz, 2/1)
Chicago Tribune:
Insurers’ Losses To Squeeze Advantage Plans
Medicare Advantage is causing huge losses for insurers like Humana, which recently reported a surprising loss, attributed to higher than anticipated spending in Advantage plans. The company’s stock immediately fell 22% on Jan. 25 on the news, as the company disclosed their earnings would likely be less than half what had been widely expected. Other Medicare Advantage insurers — including United Health Group and CVS Health — saw stock declines as the narrowing profit margins are causing a squeeze because of more spending on care for their Advantage patients. Humana forecast the losses continuing through 2025. And that should scare you — if you are in an Advantage plan. (Terry Savage, 1/31)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Pennsylvania Has Put Billions In Medicaid Business Out For Bid
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services put more than $5 billion in annual Medicaid business out for bid this week. (Harold Brubaker, 2/1)
Stat:
Do Digital Therapeutics Have A Future In Medicine?
South Korea is the only country to officially recognize digital therapeutics as a category. Nevertheless, the concept of software-based tools designed to manage or treat medical conditions has received enormous attention in the U.S. as proponents tout their potential to both widen access to care and improve patient outcomes. This optimism has driven significant financial investment in the sector, which ballooned to $3.4 billion in 2021. (G. Luke Hartstein and John Torous, 2/1)
Stat:
What We Need To Know About Arena Bioworks
I’ve spent a good deal of my career thinking about how we structure and fund research in the biomedical sciences in the U.S. and questioning whether the U.S. model of embedding research in universities is the right one. So to me, the launch of Arena BioWorks is welcome news. As media reports have highlighted, the new effort — a press release says that it was “inspired by the success of Bell Labs” — promises to let scientists engage in research without first getting funding from NIH or other sources, as well as the option, if the results are promising, to spin off a for-profit company. (Paula Stephan, 2/2)
