Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As More Americans Obtain Insurance, Health Care Spending Surges to $4.8T
Reuters: U.S. Healthcare Spending Rises To $4.8 Trillion In 2023, Outpacing GDP
Healthcare spending in the U.S. is projected to have risen 7.5% in 2023 to $4.8 trillion, federal data showed on Wednesday, outpacing the projected annual gross domestic product growth rate of 6.1%. Spending on Medicaid and private health insurance drove the growth, with the insured share of the population surging to a historic high of 93%, data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) showed. (Aboulenein, 6/13)
CIDRAP: Black, Hispanic Adults At Double The Risk Of Losing Medicaid After COVID Emergency Ended, Study Finds
Black and Hispanic adults were twice as likely than their White peers to be unable to renew their Medicaid enrollment after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) in spring 2023, a Northwestern University–led study estimates. For the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the researchers analyzed data from seven waves of the US Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey to estimate the racial distribution of adult Medicaid disenrollment from March to October 2023. (Van Beusekom, 6/12)
Reuters: Elevance Exec Says Medicaid Attrition Has Changed Mix Of Members
Elevance Health executive Peter Haytaian said on Wednesday that a decrease in the number of people eligible for its Medicaid plans this year, as well as changes the company made in where it operates those plans, shifted its balance of healthy and sick members. Commercial plans and government-backed Medicaid health plans, which cover medical costs for people with low-income, comprise the majority of Elevance's business. (Niasse and Jain, 6/12)
KFF Health News: Watch: California Pays Drug Users To Stay Clean
KFF Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart discusses a state Medicaid experiment for people addicted to methamphetamine, cocaine, and other stimulants. For every clean urine test, they can earn money — up to $599 a year. (6/13)
In Medicare updates —
Roll Call: Bipartisan Prior Authorization Legislation Introduced
Two key lawmakers reintroduced a bill on Wednesday that would essentially codify parts of a Biden administration rule that aims to streamline the use of prior authorization in Medicare Advantage. The bill, introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., would require Medicare Advantage plans to establish electronic prior authorization programs for health care providers beginning in 2027. (Hellmann, 6/12)
Stat: Insulin Costs $35 In Medicare Thanks To Eli Lilly, Not Biden Or Trump
Both President Biden and former President Trump love to claim credit for getting more Americans $35 insulin. But the credit should actually go to a giant pharmaceutical company — just the type that both men claim to have challenged. (Zhang, 6/13)
In related health insurance news —
Stateline: States Struggle To Help Patients Navigate Insurance Hurdle Known As ‘Step Therapy’
Cassidy Yermal, 32, began experiencing debilitating migraines when she was 17 years old. As a teenager growing up in northeastern Pennsylvania, she saw numerous neurologists and tried a variety of medications before finding one that provided relief. ... In 2022, their new insurer told Yermal that it wouldn’t pay for her medication unless she tried several less expensive drugs first — or could prove that she already had. (Chatlani, 6/12)
KFF Health News: Biden’s On Target About What Repealing ACA Would Mean For Preexisting Condition Protections
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign wants voters to contrast his record on health care policy with his predecessor’s. In May, Biden’s campaign began airing a monthlong, $14 million ad campaign targeting swing-state voters and minority groups with spots on TV, digital, and radio. In the ad, titled “Terminate,” Biden assails former President Donald Trump for his past promises to overturn the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Biden also warns of the potential effect if Trump is returned to office and again pursues repeal. (Gardenswartz, 6/13)
