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Here’s what you missed this week on Managed Healthcare Executive.

Driven by expensive drugs, hospital stays and growing behavioral health needs, healthcare spending is expected to keep rising—encouraging insurers to tighten oversight and explore new ways to control costs.

Although the FDA approval of lenacapavir as a twice-yearly form of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is “momentous,” cost and access curb excitement, according to Jeremiah Johnson, executive director of PrEP4All.

The high cost of pharmaceutical products coupled with a lack of federally funded HIV programs create barriers for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) access according to Jeremiah Johnson, executive director, PrEP4All.

Autoimmune diseases, such as vitiligo, celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis, are not tied to aluminum exposure from vaccines, according to a nationwide cohort study of approximately 1.2 million children done in Denmark.

A panel of 12 experts in the menopause field reexamined the findings of the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study that said there were more risks than benefits for menopausal women taking hormone therapy.

Long-acting injectable PrEP may improve access, protection and adherence, especially for young people and pregnant women, according to Hasina Subedar, a senior technical advisor at South Africa’s National Department of Health, who spoke with editors at IAS 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda.

This new Shingrix vaccine presentation eliminates the need for reconstitution, simplifying the administration process for healthcare professionals.

Mulugeta Gebregziabher, Ph.D., spoke with Managed Healthcare Executive ahead of his presentation at IAS 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda, about the risks posed by U.S. cuts to global HIV prevention funding.

At the IAS 2025 conference in Kigali, Rwanda, Banky Olatosi, M.P.H., M.S., Ph.D., of the University of South Carolina, shed light on how systemic racism and social determinants of health influence HIV diagnoses and care across U.S. regions.

While successes have been seen because of HIV self-testing, funding cuts to USAID and PEPFAR will make continued research difficult, according to Anna Bershteyn, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

In this interview, Matthew Yarnell, president of SEIU Healthcare, Pennsylvania, a healthcare union, condemns Trump’s $1 trillion Medicaid cut, saying that more than a quarter of a million Pennsylvanians will lose their healthcare coverage as a result.

According to experts at the IAS 2025 meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, AI revolutionizes HIV vaccine development by enhancing design, data analysis and clinical trials, especially in low-income regions, creating a faster progress.

The FDA approval of lenacapavir as a form of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a major step for HIV prevention, but its impact depends on access, patient-centered care and affordability.

Experts, such as Lloyd Mulenga, M.Sc., M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D., discuss long-acting injectable HIV PrEP's potential in Zambia, emphasizing community involvement and sustainable rollout amid funding challenges.

Investigational interstitial lung disease (ILD) drug, efzofitimod, shows early signs of efficacy in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis and SSc-ILD (scleroderma-related ILD), according to new trial data.

Leqselvi (deuruxolitinib) 8 mg tablets are approved for adults with severe alopecia areata, a disease that causes the immune system to attack hair follicles, leading to partial or complete hair loss on the scalp and body.

Integrating HIV and sexual health care is essential for improving outcomes, but global stigma, funding cuts—especially the defunding of USAID—and structural barriers like limited access and political resistance continue to hinder progress, experts emphasized at IAS 2025.

Kerendia was originally approved in July 2021 to reduce cardiovascular and kidney complications in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) associated with type 2 diabetes. This new approval extends its use to a broader patient population.

There is currently a movement to “de-medicalize" PrEP by pushing for more availability at more casual settings than government clinics, according to Anna Bershteyn, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

The most common HIV antibody blood test is called an “A-0” test, which is available for approximately 70 cents in many low- and middle-income countries, according to Anna Bershteyn, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Here’s what you missed this week on Managed Healthcare Executive.

In this part two interview of a three-part video series, Hari Prasad, CEO of Yosi Health, said in an interview with MHE that AI can reduce administrative delays in prior authorization, but it must be paired with oversight to ensure patient safety.

A new survey by eHealth and Retirable finds that 80% of Americans worry Medicare and Social Security won’t be available when they need them, amid projections that both trust funds could be depleted by 2034.

A new study found that commercial insurers pay hospitals more than twice what Medicare does, with prices varying depending on local market factors such as hospital concentration and insurer competition.

If approved, doravirine/islatravir would be the first two-drug HIV treatment regimen without an integrase inhibitor, according to the Merck news release.

During a KFF media call, experts raised alarms that new Medicaid rules in the federal budget law could lead to coverage losses, higher costs and added pressure on states and hospitals.

Period-induced alcohol cravings and societal changes are contributing to a rising trend in women drinking, according to new research from Sarah McKetta, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University and Layne Robinson, clinical psychology doctoral student and graduate research assistant in the RISK Laboratory, University of Kentucky.