Health Headlines for Wednesday, April 4
U.S. Obamacare 2018 exchange enrollment drops 3 percent: CMS
Reuters
About 11.8 million consumers nationwide enrolled in 2018 Obamacare exchange plans, a 3 percent drop from last year when 12.2 million consumers signed up, according to a final government tally released on Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
N.Y. gets pharma to pay up amid opioid epidemic, but concerns linger
Albany Times Union
New York made history this past week when it became the first state to work out a deal to hold the pharmaceutical industry responsible for at least some of the financial costs of the deadly and growing opioid drug epidemic.
Medicare Advantage Plans Cleared To Go Beyond Medical Coverage — Even Groceries
Kaiser Health News
Air conditioners for people with asthma, healthy groceries, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals may be among the new benefits added to Medicare Advantage coverage when new federal rules take effect next year.
School-based health centers to recoup most of last year’s budget cuts
Crain’s
The state budget for fiscal 2019 allocated $3.8 million to school-based health centers. The funding restored nearly all of the $4 million in cuts last year that had forced some clinics to consider shutting down.
Virtual Health Care Could Save the U.S. Billions Each Year
Harvard Business Review
The conventional wisdom that the best care is delivered in-person by experienced caregivers may soon be overturned.