Healthcare Policy News

Congress Gives Brooks-LaSure the Go-Ahead; Moderna Vax 100% Effective for Teens

CMS officially has a new administrator in Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Obama alumna who will also be the first Black woman to lead the agency. Meanwhile, Moderna’s vaccine is OK for teens and cost-burdened cancer survivors are skipping follow-up care.

cms gets new administrator in chiquita brooks-lasure

Source: Getty Images

By Sara Heath

- Today’s healthcare headlines comes with our Memorial Day Weekend countdown. We’re almost there.

Congress OKs Brooks-LaSure as CMS Head

The Senate has confirmed Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) by a vote of 55 to 44.

Brooks-LaSure is the first Black woman to lead the agency overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) since its establishment nearly six decades ago.

“During my career, I’ve seen how communities of color too often experience worse health outcomes, which we’ve seen so acutely during this pandemic,” Brooks-LaSure said at the hearing. “Last year in April, my own hometown, a predominately black community where my parents still live, experienced higher rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths compared to much of the surrounding communities. If confirmed, I look forward to working with each of you to expand access to quality care for all communities.” READ MORE

Patient Costs Affect Follow-Up Care Even Among the Most Privileged

High out-of-pocket healthcare costs are hampering patient engagement in follow-up care, even among some of the most privileged cancer survivors, a new study from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

The data showed that 10 percent of cancer survivors, even those with insurance, a college education, and an above-average income, do not engage in follow-up care because of high patient financial responsibility. Particularly, patients expressed concern about being able to afford co-pays and deductibles, the researchers found. READ MORE

Moderna Vax 100% Effective in Teens

The TeenCOVE study found that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was 93% effective in seronegative participants 14 days after the first dose and 100% effective 14 days after the second dose, the company announced.

“We are encouraged that mRNA-1273 was highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in adolescents. It is particularly exciting to see that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection,” Stéphane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna, said in the announcement. 

“We will submit these results to the U.S. FDA and regulators globally in early June and request authorization. We remain committed to doing our part to help end the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bancel continued. READ MORE

Public Charge Rule Still Impacting Access Despite Nullification

Immigrant families who are in the process of getting their green cards or temporary visas continue to avoid using government-funded programs including public payer coverage due to the 2019 public charge rule, Urban Institute researchers found.

“Reluctance to use public benefits among families with children could have both short- and long-term consequences, because food insecurity, financial hardships, and problems accessing needed health care can affect children’s health and well-being both immediately and as they grow,” the researchers explained. 

“And given the greater financial risks and needs for assistance for noncitizens during the pandemic, program avoidance may also be particularly harmful.” READ MORE

Congress Mulling over Audio-Only Telehealth Medicare Coverage

A bill to establish Medicare coverage for audio-only telehealth services is now in the House, setting the stage for a debate on whether the telephone is a good healthcare tool.

US Reps. Jason Smith (R-MO) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) this week introduced the Permanency for Audio-Only Telehealth Act (HR 3447), which would establish coverage for healthcare providers who connect via phone or non-video telehealth platforms with patients who don’t have the resources to use video-based telehealth.

The bill would also remove geographic and originating site restrictions on Medicare coverage, allowing providers to collaborate with patients in their homes. READ MORE

Google, HCA Partner for Data Analytics

Google Cloud and HCA Healthcare have announced a partnership to enhance data analytics and clinical decision support technologies at HCA Healthcare.

The organizations will work to create a secure and dynamic data analytics platform for HCA Healthcare, leading to the development of innovative operational models focused on actionable insights and more efficient workflows.

“Next-generation care demands data science-informed decision support so we can more sharply focus on safe, efficient and effective patient care,” said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare. “We view partnerships with leading organizations, like Google Cloud, that share our passion for innovation and continual improvement as foundational to our efforts.” READ MORE

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
©2012-2024 TechTarget, Inc. Xtelligent Healthcare Media is a division of TechTarget. All rights reserved. HealthITAnalytics.com is published by Xtelligent Healthcare Media a division of TechTarget.