Happy Memorial Day!

David Ermer–ACA, CDC, Congress, COVID-19, Medical / Rx research, Obesity, U.S. Healthcare, Uncategorized–

From Washington, DC —

  • Congress is not in session this week of Memorial Day.
  • FEHB and for the first time PSHBP plans must submit their 2025 benefit and rate proposals no later than this coming Friday May 31.
  • The No Surprises Act RxDC reporting deadline for the 2023 calendar year is this coming Saturday, June 1.

From the public health and medical research front,

  • The Washington Post warns us,
    • “Summer offers a reminder of why covid is unlike the flu, a more predictable fall and winter respiratory virus. Coronavirus ebbs and flows throughout the year, and hospitalizations have always risen in summer months when people travel more and hot weather drives people indoors. For now, covid activity is low nationally, the CDC said Friday. The number of Americans dying of covid is less than half what it was a year ago, with a death toll around 2,000 in April. The virus poses a graver threat to the severely immunocompromised and elderly. But it can still surprise younger healthy people, for whom a bout of covid can range from negligible sniffles to rarer long-term debilitating effects. * * *
    • “The CDC and health authorities continue to promote the coronavirus vaccine, last updated in fall 2023 for a subvariant no longer in circulation, as the best form of protection against the disease. Just 23 percent of adults have received a dose of the latest vaccine, the CDC estimates. Experts say the existing formula should still confer protection against severe illness from the FLiRT variants. People 65 and older qualify for a second dose, but only 7 percent have received two shots.”
  • The Post also lets us know,
    • “When asked, 75 percent of survey respondents said they felt mental health conditions are identified and treated worse than physical health issues, according to a new survey from West Health and Gallup.
    • “The poll surveyed a random sample of 2,266 U.S. adults 18 and older. In addition to perceptions about treatment, the survey also gauged mental health conditions among participants. Of the respondents: 51 percent reported experiencing depression, anxiety or another mental health condition in the previous 12 months. * * *
    • “The main barriers, according to those surveyed, were affordability and difficulty in finding an adequate provider. Participants also cited shame and embarrassment as keeping them from treatment. This was particularly felt among participants who had experienced a mental health issue in the past year: 74 percent of those respondents thought people with mental health conditions are viewed negatively. 
    • “Additionally, 75 percent of adults 65 or older thought mental health conditions carry a negative stigma, but 53 percent of the participants felt psychological counseling or therapy is “very effective” or “effective.” Fewer adults felt medication was effective.”
  • Fortune Well tells us,
    • “Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, and it’s usually diagnosed in kids. But ADHD tends to be underdiagnosed in women and people of color, which can lead to some people reaching adulthood before realizing they may have the condition.” 
    • The article delves into the signs and symptoms of ADHD in adults and treatment options.
  • Fortune Well also considers,
    • “Could Ozempic be the answer to a longer life?
    • “It’s the question many scientists are asking about the controversial drug, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1), as some research suggests it could help humans age with less chronic diseases. The same goes for glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide receptor agonists (GIP) such as Zepbound and Mounjaro, leaving some experts to start seeing them as potential longevity pills and considering how in the future they can be prescribed safely to more people, especially as rates of obesity continue to rise.
    • “The singular most effective and consistent way of extending lifespan in animals is caloric restriction,” says Dr. Douglas Vaughan, a professor of medicine at Northwestern University and director of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute. “That’s been demonstrated to work on everything from worms to flies to mice to monkeys. If you can find a way to get people to chronically reduce their caloric intake, it sort of makes sense that it might have an effect on aging. It’s probably not as simple as that and there could be unexpected effects of these drugs that might negate or prevent the anti aging effect, but it’s a great hypothesis and it needs to be tested rigorously.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • Fierce Healthcare notes,
    • “Elevance Health’s philanthropic arm is launching a new initiative that aims to provide loans to small businesses and other organizations in a bid to address health equity.
    • “The Elevance Health Foundation has made a $10 million commitment to the “impact investing” effort, according to an announcement. The loans offered through the program will be offered at below Prime rates, and the partners will deploy the funds to address key social needs like access to care, food insecurity and health disparities.
    • “The foundation also intends to seek out purpose-driven businesses that may not be able to access traditional banking, particularly those owned by women and people of color, who can impact equity in their communities.
    • “Shantanu Agrawal, chief health officer at Elevance Health, told Fierce Healthcare that the foundation has historically offered grant-based programs, which does limit the reach of its work to non-profit organizations. The team “took a step back” and examined other ways it could invest in communities before landing on this loan program, he said.”
  • The Wall Street Journal reports that
    • “the debt-collection spree is an example of how some hospitals in recent years have become more aggressive in recouping bills from the estimated more than 15 million Americans who have medical debt. The issue can be particularly acute in rural areas like Pratt, where residents are more likely to be older and uninsured, and hospitals are under financial stress. 
    • “A nationwide increase in debt-collection cases has drawn scrutiny from some attorneys and judges who say they eat up court and law-enforcement resources. In nine states with easy-to-access court data, debt cases—including those for medical bills, credit cards, and auto and student loans—made up 29% of civil dockets in 2013, compared with 42% in 2021; debt claims were the most common civil cases in 13 of 16 states that year, according to the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts.”