Gregg's Top Three Health Policy Articles

For the week of Jan 6-13, 2023

Author

Gregg S. Margolis, PhD
January 13, 2023

Health policy impacts everyone, but it can be hard to know what is important.  If you can only read three things about health policy this week, I suggest...

The Top Three...

AP: Even As NY Nurses Return To Work, More Strikes Could Follow Even as 7,000 nurses return to work at two of New York’s busiest hospitals after a three-day strike, colleagues around the country say it’s just a matter of time before frontline workers at other hospitals begin walking the picket line. (Seitz, 1/13)

Axios: Biden Administration Extends COVID Public Health Emergency The COVID-19 public health emergency will be extended for another 90 days, maintaining a long set of Trump-era allowances and programs affecting much of U.S. health care. When the emergency does end, it will bring major policy shifts to insurance markets, drug approvals and telehealth. (Reed, 1/11)

Reuters: Nearly 16 Million Americans Sign Up For 2023 Obamacare Plans Nearly 16 million Americans have so far signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's marketplace, a 13% jump from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday. Enrollment for 2023 healthcare plans under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is open between Nov. 1 and Jan. 15. About 3.1 million people who have signed up for the plans are new enrollees, HHS said. (1/11)

For a Deeper Dive...

Stat: The Republicans Leading Health Policy In The House Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri will helm the powerful House Ways and Means Committee this Congress, as Republicans embark on a promised era of slashed spending and scrutiny of the pandemic response. (Owermohle, 1/9)

Healthcare Dive: Sen. Bernie Sanders To Target High Healthcare Costs As Leader Of Influential Committee The longtime congressman and “Medicare for All” proponent will soon assume leadership of the Senate health committee, giving him sway in one of the nation’s most influential health policy forums. (Halleman, 1/9)

The New York Times: Hochul To Unveil A $1 Billion Plan Addressing Mental Illness In New York The governor’s plan would compel state-licensed hospitals to reopen more than 800 inpatient psychiatric beds that disappeared during the pandemic, create 3,500 units of housing with supportive services and expand mental health services in schools, which have seen steep increases in children with psychological problems. (Ferré-Sadurní and Newman, 1/10)

Axios: 3 Takeaways From JP Morgan A very soggy edition of the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, better known as JPM, wrapped up Thursday in San Francisco after filling downtown eateries and crowding hotel lobbies all week. The annual health care takeover of San Francisco is arguably still the most influential gathering in the business, offering a chance for investors to get a pulse on the upcoming year and for health execs to humblebrag about how many meetings they squeezed in. (Dreher, 1/13)

Stat: HHS Will Decide How To Resolve $1 Billion In Payments For 340B Hospitals The Department of Health and Human Services will get to decide how to compensate hospitals for years of underpayments related to a federal drug discount program, a federal court decided Tuesday. The decision is the latest installment in a legal dispute between hospitals that get discounted drugs through the 340B program and the federal government over Medicare payment formulas. The repayments HHS owes hospitals total more than $1 billion, and hospitals had hoped the court would force the government to pay them back immediately. (Cohrs, 1/10)

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For the Visual Among Us...

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?

-Gregg S. Margolis, PhD