Gregg's Top Three Health Policy Articles

If you can only read three things about health policy this week, I suggest...

The Top Three...

Reuters: Hunger In US Continued Multi-Year Rise In 2023, Government Report Says Hunger reached its highest point in the United States in nearly a decade last year, with 18 million households, or 13.5%, struggling at some point to secure enough food, a Department of Agriculture report released on Wednesday said. Hunger has been on the rise in the country since 2021, after years of decline. U.S. Census Bureau data last year showed a rise in food insecurity after the end of programs that expanded food aid during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report did not provide an explanation for the increase. (Douglas, 9/4)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Vaccines Are Now Pricey Without Insurance As CDC Access Program Expires As updated coronavirus vaccines hit U.S. pharmacy shelves, adults without health insurance are discovering the shots are no longer free, instead costing up to $200. The federal Bridge Access Program covering the cost of coronavirus vaccines for uninsured and underinsured people ran out of funding. Now, Americans with low incomes are weighing whether they can afford to shore up immunity against an unpredictable virus that is no longer a public health emergency but continues to cause long-term complications and hospitalizations and kill tens of thousands of people a year. (Nirappil, 9/3)

Axios: Health Worker Shortages Forecast Thru 2028 Continued worker burnout and more demand for care from an aging population will drive health care workforce shortages into 2028 — though with significant variations by state, according to a Mercer analysis. While there's been considerable attention paid to physician shortages, the analysis highlights an acute need for more nurse practitioners, even in states like California and Texas that will have overall surpluses of health workers. (Goldman, 9/5)

For a Deeper Dive...

NBC News: New Covid Vaccine: Independent Pharmacies Report Delays As Pfizer And Moderna Doses Roll Out As major pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens roll out the new Covid vaccine, independent pharmacies say they’re facing delays in getting their shipments, leading to longer wait times for their patients to get vaccinated. Neal Smoller, the owner of Village Apothecary, an independent pharmacy in Woodstock, New York, said he received doses of Moderna’s vaccine over the weekend, but Pfizer’s didn’t arrive until Wednesday. (Lovelace Jr., 9/5)

Modern Healthcare: How HRSA, CMS Could Help Grow The Geriatrician Workforce The future of the U.S. healthcare system is already being shaped by the growing population of older adults. But providers with expertise caring for them are dwindling — and the federal government’s work to grow the field is hitting a wall. Older adults tend to have more complex health conditions, are disproportionately impacted by chronic disease and disabilities, and are more likely to be affected by problems such as injuries from falls, according to the National Council on Aging. Those complexities result in billions of dollars in care each year, largely financed by Medicare and Medicaid. (Early, 9/5)

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A few years ago I started a weekly e-mail for friends and colleagues who want to keep up on major federal health policy developments but did not have time to plod through all the minutiae--they were busy doing important things like running organizations and taking care of patients! Much to my surprise, it became pretty popular. I have now converted to a weekly newsletter format so you can manage your own subscription preferences and forward to others that might be interested.

These summaries represent my judgement on health policy issues that may not on the front pages, but are relevant to clinicians, administrators, and educators. I monitor many news sources and clipping services to identify content for this newsletter and I try hard to be as factual, balanced, and non-partisan as possible. While the articles are written by others (with credit attributed), the choice of what to include is entirely mine. If you are interested in receiving a daily summary of health policy news, you might consider signing up for the KHN Morning Briefing. If you enjoy podcasts, I suggest What the Health? and Tradeoffs.

-Gregg S. Margolis, PhD