Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pharma Group Calls On Insurers To Maintain Vaccine Coverage, Costs
Becker's Hospital Review: Pharmacy Groups Call On Insurers To Preserve Vaccine Coverage
A coalition of pharmacy organizations, including the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, has called for major U.S. health insurers to preserve existing vaccine coverage without increasing patient cost-sharing. In letters sent to major insurers including UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Cigna, Kaiser Permanente and trade groups such as AHIP and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the organizations expressed concerns about the potential coverage changes following updates by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, according to a July 8 news release from the ASHP. (Murphy, 7/9)
Axios: More Employers Offer Immigrant Doctors Visa Support
A small but growing number of employers are offering immigrants support in obtaining visas and green cards — especially those looking for physicians and surgeons, according to new data from jobs site Indeed. (Peck, 7/10)
Modern Healthcare: Ballad Health Sells Equipment Provider To Quipt Home Medical
Quipt Home Medical Corp. has acquired a durable medical equipment provider owned by Ballad Health for $1.6 million. The two organizations also entered a preferred provider agreement, according to a news release. Quipt Home Medical and Ballad Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (DeSilva, 7/9)
Stat: How Regeneron Is Using Patent Tactics To Try To Thwart Competition
A court battle between two of the nation’s largest biotechs — Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Amgen — is testing the legal limits of how far drugmakers can go in using patents to thwart competition. And the case is being closely watched by companies that sell biosimilar medicines amid concerns that the U.S. patent system is being gamed in ways that critics say can maintain high prices for medicines. (Silverman, 7/10)
Health insurance —
Stat: Judge Dismisses Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana Lawsuit Over Star Ratings
A federal judge has dismissed a case brought by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, criticizing the health insurance company for potential “gamesmanship” of the federal Medicare Advantage star ratings system. The decision marks another loss for the Medicare Advantage industry, which has aggressively sued the federal government in an attempt to overturn reduced quality ratings and retain billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses. (Herman, 7/9)
Bloomberg: UnitedHealth Names Mike Cotton New Medicaid CEO
UnitedHealth Group Inc. promoted a new leader for the company’s Medicaid insurance segment, filling a role that was vacant after recent executive changes. Longtime insurance executive Mike Cotton will lead the Medicaid unit, the company confirmed to Bloomberg News. Bobby Hunter, head of the Medicare insurance division, is taking on an expanded role as chief executive officer of government programs, overseeing both Medicaid and Medicare, the company said. (Tozzi, 7/9)
KFF Health News: Watch: She’s At High Risk Of Breast Cancer. She Moved, And Her Screening Costs Soared
Kelli Reardon undergoes an MRI twice a year to screen for breast cancer, a measure she said she must take to protect her health. Her mother died of the disease at age 48, putting Reardon at higher risk, and Reardon has dense breast tissue, which makes it harder to detect a growth through a mammogram. When Reardon moved from Alabama to North Carolina, she had little choice but to switch from having the screening done at an imaging center to having it done at a hospital. (Jackman and Grey, 7/10)
