General
Ads for CBD as Cure-All Are Everywhere, but Regulation Is Scant
Tiffany Hsu, The New York Times
Scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., were concerned when a young man contacted their department last year complaining of a heart-pounding, hallucinogenic high he had neither expected nor wanted to have. The team, led by the forensic toxicologist Michelle R. Peace, had published a study about mysterious ingredients in vaping liquids.
Bernie Sanders is making health care his defining issue. Will it work?
Sean Sullivan, The Washington Post
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is seeking to break through a congested Democratic presidential race by campaigning more aggressively on Medicare-for-all, a risky strategy his advisers hope will shift the contest in his favor amid signs he has lost ground in recent months.
Advocates fear HHS nondiscrimination rule would hinder health equity
Steven Ross Johnson, Modern Healthcare
Advocates for the country’s healthcare safety net urged the Trump administration to rescind proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act’s anti-discrimination provisions, alleging they could roll back protections for LGBTQ individuals and nonproficient English speakers.
To boost workforce, medical schools try to sell rural life
The Associated Press
On a field trip to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Ashish Bibireddy put on headphones and scrolled through a jukebox of music from an influential 1927 recording session. Bibireddy and nine other medical students had already been biking and rafting on their visit to rural Appalachia organized by a nearby medical college.
Stocks Decline on Turmoil in Hong Kong, Argentina: Markets Wrap
Todd White, Bloomberg
European shares fell, Asian stocks slumped and U.S. equity futures fluctuated as turmoil in Hong Kong and Argentina spooked investors already on edge over the trade war. The dollar was steady as gold and silver rallied.
Payers
Study: 4 in 10 patients faced surprise bills in 2016 after visiting in-network hospitals
Jessie Hellmann, The Hill
Four in 10 privately insured patients faced surprise medical bills after visiting emergency rooms or getting admitted to hospitals in 2016, according to a new study published Monday in the American Medical Association’s internal medicine journal.
Providers
Charity Care Spending By Hospitals Plunges
Harriet Blair Rowan, Kaiser Health News
California hospitals are providing significantly less free and discounted care to low-income patients since the Affordable Care Act took effect.
California Kaiser workers vote to strike
Alex Kacik, Modern Healthcare
Kaiser Permanente workers in California overwhelmingly supported a national strike beginning in early October against the integrated not-for-profit health system’s alleged unfair labor practices, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions announced Monday.
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
Health care industry kills cuts to heart pump payments
Bob Herman, Axios
Hospitals, doctors and medical device companies have successfully lobbied Medicare to abandon a proposed 30% cut in payments for certain surgeries involving heart pumps.
FDA shatters generic drug approval record
Robert King, FierceHealthcare
The Food and Drug Administration has approved or tentatively approved 1,028 generic drugs since the end of July, ensuring another record federal fiscal year of approvals.
Trump’s Canada Drug Import Plan Can’t Happen Without Big Pharma
Natalie Obiko Pearson and Simran Jagdev, Bloomberg
U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to import cheap Canadian drugs overlooks a crucial fact: it can’t happen without the cooperation of major drugmakers, the very industry he’s trying to undercut.
An old idea that’s gaining new traction: curing Alzheimer’s by killing gum-disease bacteria
Sharon Begley, Stat News
While large pharmaceutical companies have been reporting failure after expensive failure in their efforts to develop an Alzheimer’s drug by targeting amyloid, a growing number of startups have been quietly trying different strategies. One approach, pioneered by San Francisco-based Cortexyme, is based on an old idea that is gaining traction after being shunted aside for decades: that an infectious agent causes Alzheimer’s, and that targeting that pathogen and the neuronal havoc it wreaks can stop and even reverse the disease.
Health IT
Telehealth use jumps at inpatient facilities while outpatient adoption remains flat: survey
Heather Landi, FierceHealthcare
Telehealth adoption among hospitals and health systems is on the rise—up from 54% in 2014 to 85% in 2019—while adoption among outpatient healthcare facilities remains flat, according to two new reports.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
Congress Must Act Now to Pave Way for More Affordable Prescription Drugs
Liz Helms, Morning Consult
American patients living with complex and chronic conditions such as arthritis, cancer, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis and others continue to struggle with the rising costs of health care. The out-of-pocket costs required to successfully manage these conditions are forcing many patients to abandon treatments or forego other necessities such as food, shelter or transportation costs.
Research Reports
Assessment of Out-of-Network Billing for Privately Insured Patients Receiving Care in In-Network Hospitals
Eric C. Sun et al., JAMA
In this analysis of 5 457 981 inpatient admissions and 13 579 006 emergency department admissions between 2010 and 2016 in a large national sample of privately insured patients, the incidence of out-of-network billing increased from 32.3% to 42.8% of emergency department visits, and the mean potential liability to patients increased from $220 to $628. For inpatient admissions, the incidence of out-of-network billing increased from 26.3% to 42.0%, and the mean potential liability to patients increased from $804 to $2040.
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