Thanks to all those who served our great country.

From Washington, DC,

• The Washington Post reports,
  • “With Republicans on the cusp of unified control of Washington, Congress appears primed to extend the deadline for a government shutdown well past President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
  • “Lawmakers are discussing a temporary measure that would fund the government into March, according to two people briefed on the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
  • “That would give the Senate plenty of time to begin confirming Trump’s Cabinet nominees, and the House time to plot out maneuvers on tax legislation, without the threat of an imminent government shutdown. Without new legislation, financing for federal agencies will expire Dec. 20.”

• Modern Health informs us,
  • “A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday shows 7.6% of Americans, or 25.3 million people, lacked health insurance during the time of data collection from April to June. Although the rate represents a 0.4 percentage point increase from the year-ago period, it is consistent with 2023’s full-year uninsured rate — a historic annual low.
  • “More people have health insurance coverage than ever before — and the peace of mind that comes with it,” Health and Human Services Department Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement Sunday. “That is all thanks to the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid and creation of the Marketplace.”
    
• The American Hospital Association News tells us,
  • In comments Nov. 11 to the Centers for Medicare & Services on its Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2026, the AHA expressed support for navigators and other assistance personnel as CMS explores how to expand their responsibilities. Navigators and non-navigator assistance personnel work with hospitals and health systems to help connect consumers to financial assistance resources. 
  • “Navigators are already trusted community resources for navigating health insurance coverage and would be a great asset in helping to reach patients who are otherwise not accessing available financial assistance,” the AHA wrote. “We also encourage navigators and assisters to expand their enrollment counseling to help patients enroll in plans with affordable deductible and cost-sharing requirements based on the patient’s financial resources.”
• The FEHBlog wishes he knew the objectives of the PSHB navigators and the level of their success in achieving those objectives.

From the public health and medical research front,

• The Washington Post lets us know,
  • “About 41 percent of U.S. adults with hypertension are unaware they have it, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics. Left untreated, high blood pressure can increase the risk for heart disease and stroke.
  • “The American College of Cardiology defines hypertension as having systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or above, or diastolic blood pressure of 80 mm Hg or above.
  • The NCHS data is drawn from a two-year survey, from August 2021 to August 2023, of the U.S. population. The survey sample “is selected through a complex, multistage design,” the NCHS report says. The survey information was collected in stages, including interviews conducted in subjects’ homes and a standardized health examination in a mobile exam site. An average of up to three blood pressure readings were taken.
  • “In adults over age 18, 48 percent of the survey’s 6,084 subjects were found to have hypertension — 60 percent of whom were aware that they had high blood pressure.” 

• HR Dive relates,
  • “Women’s use of health benefits can influence workplace outcomes such as attendance, retention and productivity, according to a Nov. 6 report from the Integrated Benefit Institute.
  • “For instance, 89% of employed U.S. women said employer benefits positively influence overall workplace satisfaction, and 85% said benefits play a crucial role in attracting and retaining talent.
  • “In particular, benefit use was associated with fewer missed workdays, with the greatest effects seen from mental health benefits, reproductive health services and maternity care.

• The American Medical Association points out what doctors wish their patients knew about ultra processed foods.

• Per Healio
  • “Low-level lead poisoning remains prevalent across the United States and globally, warranting screening and identification of those at highest risk, according to a recently published review.
  • “Such poisonings are especially dangerous in children because of their adverse links to cognitive and behavioral development, the researchers pointed out in The New England Journal of Medicine.“

• Per MedPage Today
  • “Healthy lifestyle choices in midlife may offset genetic risks for dementia, stroke, and late-life depression.
  • “Brain Care Scores measure modifiable risk factors for age-related brain diseases.
  • “Compared with lower Brain Care Scores, higher scores were tied to reduced risk of brain disease in people with genetic predisposition to such diseases.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

• Beckers Payer Issues lets us know,
  • Cigna directly confirmed that it is not pursuing a merger with Humana. 
  • “The Cigna Group remains committed to its established M&A criteria and would only consider acquisitions that are strategically aligned, financially attractive, and have a high probability to close,” the company said in a Nov. 11 news release. 

• Beckers Hospital Review relates,
  • “Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente posted a $608 million operating loss (-2.1% operating margin) in the third quarter of 2024, down from an operating income of $156 million (0.6% operating margin) in the same quarter last year, according to its Nov. 8 financial report.  
  • “Kaiser posted an operating revenue of $29 billion in the three months ended Sept. 30, up from $24.9 billion over the same period in 2023. The system reported operating expenses of $29.6 billion in the third quarter, up from $24.7 billion over the same period last year. 
  • “The system said that it continues to experience “increased medical expenses due to higher-than-expected utilization of services, patient acuity and pharmacy costs.” Kaiser also said that its third-quarter performance also included the “impact of Medicaid and other true-ups of annual contracts that normally occur earlier in the year.”

• STAT News reports,
  • “AbbVie said Monday that its experimental treatment for schizophrenia failed to significantly help patients in two trials, a blow to the company, which got the drug through its recent $9 billion acquisition of Cerevel Therapeutics.
  • “In Phase 2 studies, patients on different doses of the drug, called emraclidine, did not experience significant improvements on a test called the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) compared with the placebo group.
  • “While we are disappointed with the results, we are continuing to analyze the data to determine next steps,” Roopal Thakkar, AbbVie’s chief scientific officer, said in a statement.”

• Per Beckers Payer Issues,
  • “A mobile app offered to individuals covered by Centene’s Medicaid plan in Arizona improved medication adherence, and reduced healthcare visits and costs, according to a study published Oct. 21 in The American Journal of Managed Care.
  • “The study found that using the Wellth app helped Medicaid patients with chronic conditions stick to their medications more consistently and reduced unnecessary healthcare visits, ultimately leading to cost savings. The Wellth app uses financial incentives to encourage people to take their medications as prescribed.
  • “Managed care decision makers should consider these findings when deciding what types of behavioral interventions and supports to offer insurance plan members, particularly those managing chronic conditions, to reduce avoidable healthcare expenses,” the researchers wrote.”