From Washington, D.C., and “Following a meeting of the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees, the U.S. Department of the Treasury—joined by Departments of Health and Human Services and Labor, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Social Security Administration—released the annual Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports.” Here is a link to the government’s fact sheet on those reports.

The American Hospital Association explains

The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will have sufficient funds to pay full benefits until 2028, according to the latest annual report released today by the Medicare Board of Trustees.

That’s two years later than last year’s report. The HI Fund, known as Medicare Part A, helps pay for inpatient hospital services, hospice care, and skilled nursing facility and home health services following hospital stays.

HI income is projected to be higher than last year’s estimates because both the number of covered workers and average wages are projected to be higher, according to the report. In addition, HI expenditures are projected to be lower than last year’s estimates in the beginning of the short-range period mainly due to the pandemic but are projected to become larger after 2023 due to higher projected provider payment updates.

“There is substantial uncertainty in the economic, demographic, and health care projection factors for HI trust fund expenditures and revenues,” the report notes. “Accordingly, the date of HI trust fund depletion could differ substantially in either direction from the 2028 intermediate estimate.”

From the Omicron and siblings front

Bloomberg Prognosis reports

More than two-thirds of the world’s population probably have significant levels of Covid-19 antibodies, meaning they have either been infected or were vaccinated, the World Health Organization said. 

So-called seroprevalence rates surged to 67% in October from 16% in February of 2021, the WHO said, in a summary of studies from around the globe. Given the emergence of the fast-spreading omicron variant, the figure is probably even higher now.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced

A large randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial led by the National Institutes of Health shows that treating adults hospitalized with COVID-19 with infliximab or abatacept – drugs widely used to treat certain autoimmune diseases – did not significantly shorten time to recovery but did substantially improve clinical status and reduce deaths.

That’s a good trade-off.

From the federal employee benefits front

• OPM released a proposed Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program rule today. The rule indicates that OPM is planning a suspension of enrollments in this Program. “For example, it may be appropriate to suspend applications to allow a period of time for revisions to underwriting processes or for premium repricing after a review of actuarial assumptions, in order to ensure that premium rates reasonably and equitably reflect the cost of the benefits provided as required by the statute and to ensure that OPM can provide eligible individuals with the information needed to enable them to fully evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining LTCI under FLTCIP.” (pp. 4-5). The public comment deadline is expected to be July 2, 2022.

• Benefits consultant Tammy Flanagan responds in Govexec to reader questions about “about choosing when to retire in order to maximize the impact of both the annual cost-of-living adjustment to retirement benefits and the yearly federal employee pay increase.” Check it out.

From the transparency front

Roll Call discusses the progress of the hospital industry in achieving compliance with the federal government’s pricing transparency rule which became enforceable eighteen months ago.

While most hospitals have been willing to follow parts of the rule — namely, a requirement that they post user-friendly lists or tools to help patients shop for services — they have been less compliant with a requirement that they post “machine readable” files of standard charges — data that experts say would be far more useful in driving down costs.

That’s an intriguing factoid because the federal government’s health plan transparency rule’s similar requirement to post three “machine readable” files of claim payments data becomes enforceable on July 1, 2022.

From the Rx coverage front, Healthcare Dive informs us

* Rite Aid is the latest pharmacy giant to step into clinical care delivery through a new partnership with rural home care startup Homeward.

* Under the deal announced Tuesday, Rite Aid pharmacists will direct eligible customers to Homeward’s clinical services, including annual wellness visits, health screenings, diagnostic testing, virtual visits and in-home care. Homeward will also be able to park its mobile clinician units at Rite Aid’s rural locations, with the goal of allowing senior customers to see a provider and pick up their prescriptions in one visit.

* Homeward will provide in-network services, including specialty care beginning with cardiology, in the third quarter this year for patients covered by Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. The companies are starting the partnership in Michigan, with the opportunity to expand to Rite Aid’s 700 rural locations across the U.S. over time.

From the telehealth front, Healio tells us

Telemedicine could be as effective as in-person medicine in evaluating pediatric genetic disorders, according to a study published in Pediatrics.

The study is the latest in a string of investigations examining clinicians’ and patients’ experiences in telemedicine following its widespread implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence has suggested that telemedicine could significantly reduce costs for certain patients, but also that patients and practitioners may prefer in-person visits.