CMS has reached agreements with bluebird bio and Vertex Pharmaceuticals for their FDA-approved gene therapies for sickle cell disease — Casgevy and Lyfgenia, respectively.
Category: Public Health
Nursing Homes Fell Behind on Vaccinating Patients for Covid
Last winter, only 4 in 10 nursing home residents got an updated covid vaccine. The low uptake leaves a fragile population vulnerable. Some industry watchdogs say it could be a sign of eroding trust between nursing home residents and providers.
Nursing Home Industry Wants Trump To Rescind Staffing Mandate
A Biden administration rule that imposed minimum rules on nursing levels may not survive, even though many homes lack enough workers to maintain residents’ care.
California Falling Short of Enrollment Goal as Mental Health Courts Roll Out Statewide
California’s goal was to help 2,000 seriously mentally ill people by the end of this year, but data shows fewer than 600 petitions have been filed. As the CARE program expands to every county, officials say it sometimes takes months to locate eligible adults and get them in treatment plans.
CHOP expands food program for patients families
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia expanded its food insecurity program by providing families of patients with six months of produce and/or a week of prepared meals, WHYY reported Dec. 2.
Homebound Seniors Living Alone Often Slip Through Health System’s Cracks
There is a large population of older adults with physical problems that prevent them from leaving home. Many have significant medical and practical needs that go unmet.
Trump Doesn’t Need Congress To Make Abortion Effectively Unavailable
President-elect Donald Trump vowed on the campaign trail not to sign a nationwide abortion ban. But he wouldn’t need to do so to make abortion difficult, or illegal, writes KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner.
A Toddler Got a Nasal Swab Test but Left Before Seeing a Doctor. The Bill was $445.
A mom in Peoria, Illinois, took her 3-year-old to the ER one evening last December. While they were waiting to be seen, the toddler seemed better, so they left without seeing a doctor. Then the bill came.
Proposed Coverage of Anti-Obesity Drugs in Medicare and Medicaid Would Expand Access to Millions of People with Obesity
This policy watch examines the implications of new proposed regulations that would allow Medicare and require Medicaid to cover drugs used to treat obesity, including a relatively new class of highly effective but costly drugs known as GLP-1s.
ACA fraud crackdown could slow signups: 4 things to know
Federal efforts to prevent fraud in the ACA marketplace are yielding positive results, but new restrictions aimed at curbing fraud may complicate the 2024 open enrollment period, KFF Health News reported Nov. 25.
