Federal Insurance Czar debated

Spending climbed by 2.7% in 2021. In 2020, it soared by 10.3%, fueled by federal government spending in response to the pandemic. The blizzard of calculations of 2021 healthcare spending by CMS’ actuaries also provides further evidence that utilization of healthcare services bounced back in 2021.

In this episode of the "Meet the Board" podcast series, Briana Contreras, Managed Healthcare Executive editor, speaks with Ateev Mehrotra, a member of the MHE editorial advisory board and a professor of healthcare policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School. Mehtrotra is also a hospitalist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. In the discussion, Contreras gets to know Mehrotra more on a personal level and picks his brain on some of his research interests including telehealth, alternative payment models and price transparency.

The reference to “maximum fair price” in the act bodes poorly for manufacturers and suggests more of a take-it-or-leave-it situation rather than a negotiation where clinical evidence would be the prevailing factor in determining price.

Abortion access was a key issue in Pennsylvania and other battleground states. The Affordable Care Act receded into the political background, although voters in South Dakota approved a ballot measure that expanded Medicaid, leaving just 11 states that haven't done so.

If South Dakota voters approve a ballot initiative on Nov. 8, that will leave 11 states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA.

A federal district court ruling today could jeopardize coverage of preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Some payers may be cautious about pulling back on full coverage of preventive services, but if the ruling stands, experts fear the undoing of a key provision of the Affordable Care Act will result in a patchwork of coverage — and a worsening of healthcare disparities.