Insights^

White House Revives Free COVID-19 Test Program

The White House restarted a program to provide free COVID-19 tests to Americans via the US Postal Service, ahead of a possible winter surge as new cases and hospitalizations tick up.  The Biden administration initially began supplying COVID-19 tests by mail in January to address the Omicron surge, but the program was suspended in September due to a lack of funding.  The move is part of a broader COVID-⁠19 Winter Preparedness Plan that includes offering resources and assistance to states to get more Americans vaccinated and boosted, releasing a “winter playbook” for nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and monitoring for new variants.  Households can now order four tests at covidtests.gov, with shipments beginning next week.

NBPP Proposes to Address Generic Drug Prices, Offer New Special Enrollment Period (SEP)

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a number of new policies in its proposed 2024 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP) rule, including one to require Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans to cover all generic drugs on a new, dedicated generic drug tier with lower cost-sharing.  According to HHS, the new policy would help prevent discriminatory benefit designs, improve access for prescription drugs, and reduce the risk of confusion for ACA plan enrollees.  Additionally, HHS proposed allowing ACA marketplaces to create a new special enrollment period (SEP) for people who lose Medicaid/CHIP benefits.  The proposed policy is likely a preemptive move to address coverage losses from Medicaid redeterminations once the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) comes to an end.  Stakeholders have until January 28 to comment on the proposed NBPP rule.

Initial Data on Moderna’s Cancer Vaccine Show Promise

Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine has resulted in a “clinically meaningful reduction” in the risk of death when used alongside an immunotherapy, according to early-stage clinical trial data released by the company on Tuesday.  Moderna stated in a press release the results amount to a “paradigm shift” in treating cancer by offering a new therapeutic that has significantly fewer side effects than existing treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  If approved, however, the cost of mRNA vaccines would be a major obstacle, as each treatment would be personalized to each patient.

SAMHSA Proposes Buprenorphine Prescriptions via Telehealth

In a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) issued on Tuesday, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) proposed nixing the in-person requirement to receive a buprenorphine prescription to treat opioid use disorder and allow the treatment to be prescribed via telehealth.  The change is likely intended to address a spike in opioid overdose deaths that began with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since the start of the COVID-19 PHE, people suffering from opioid abuse have been able to get prescriptions for buprenorphine over audio-only or video telehealth via a temporary waiver.  According to a recent HHS study, people who took advantage of receiving a prescription over telehealth to treat opioid abuse experienced overall positive outcomes.

ICYMI: Pelosi’s Portrait Unveiled at US Capitol

An official portrait of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was unveiled in Statuary Hall of the US Capitol on Wednesday.  The portrait depicts the day she was first elected speaker on January 4, 2007.  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and former House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) spoke at the unveiling ceremony, and former President Barack Obama delivered remarks via video.  The ceremony also included brief remarks in memory to the artist responsible for Pelosi’s and Boehner’s portraits, Ronald Scherr, who died last week at age 70.

New White House Plan Aims to Increase Booster Numbers 

President Joe Biden got his updated bivalent COVID-19 booster shot on Tuesday to underscore the administration’s latest push to get more Americans boosted ahead of what’s expected to be a rise in the  case numbers over the coming weeks.  Since the bivalent boosters became available last month, only 8% of eligible Americans have received a shot so far.  Key components of the new plan include education and outreach to seniors and other high-risk Americans, which includes a media campaign and a #VaxUpAmerica Family Vaccine Tour.  The plan also calls for engagement with employers, pharmacies, and schools to urge members of their respective communities to get boosted.   The Biden administration is also urging Americans to get their annual flu shot alongside their COVID-19 vaccine booster.

Administration Announces New Penalties for Underperforming Nursing Homes

Some of the nation’s worst nursing homes will soon see stiffer penalties, according to new enforcement measures laid out by the Biden administration last Friday.  The enforcement actions are part of a broader plan to boost nursing home quality that President Biden first announced in his State of the Union Address earlier this year.  Some of the new steps the administration is taking is increasing penalties for nursing homes that fail to address their violations and increasing safety standards. The administration also announced several actions to help nursing homes improve, such as $93 million in grant funding to support workforce development, education, and training.  Nursing homes have come under increased scrutiny over the past few years as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated workforce shortages and resulted in subpar conditions for residents.

KFF: Employers May Face Higher Insurance Premiums Next Year

While premiums in employer-sponsored health plans remained stable in 2022, employers could face higher premiums in 2023, according to an annual employer benefits survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).  That’s because insurance plans finalized premiums for 2022 before fall 2021, which precedes the surge in inflation observed this year.  While employers have largely absorbed higher premiums thus far amid a tight labor market, KFF notes that a spike in premiums next year could mean employers may have to reconcile between the difficultly of passing higher premiums on to employees while managing their own inflation-driven financial pressures.  The survey also found that nearly a third of large employers say their insurance networks don’t have sufficient access to behavioral health care providers, despite a growing demand among employees for mental health care services.

NCI: Cancer Death Rate Continues to Decline

The number of Americans who died from cancer between 2015 and 2019 declined by 2.1%, according to the latest annual report from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).  The biggest decline in cancer deaths was observed in two cancer types:  melanoma and lung cancer.  The report also found modest improvements in the survival rate for pancreatic cancer, which is notable given its association as one of the most lethal types of cancer.  However, the report found that the incidence of new cancers has remained largely unchanged, and that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to die from certain types of cancer.

Hill Staffer Unions Ponder Future in GOP-Controlled House

Ever since Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) endorsed unions for congressional staff back in February, six Democratic congressional offices have voted to form unions, while another five offices have filed petitions to hold elections on forming their own unions.  As Republicans are likely to control the House in the next Congress, some are worried that staff unions in the House could be short-lived, given House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) opposition to staff unions.  However, some union experts say Republicans may not bother to disband unions because such a move would require statutory changes (as opposed to a simple resolution), as well as the fact that no GOP offices have yet to unionize.

ICYMI: Marine Corps Marathon Returns to DC

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the Marine Corps Marathon is back in action in Washington, DC this Sunday.  The marathon route starts in Arlington National Cemetery and continue across the Key Bridge into Georgetown and Rock Creek Park before heading over to the National Mall and crossing the river back into Virginia.  Up to 30,000 people are scheduled to attend, making it one of the most popular marathons in the world.

Administration Finalizes Rule to Fix “Family Glitch” 

On Tuesday, the Biden administration issued a final rule to close the “family glitch,” a loophole that blocked family members from receiving Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits if a member of their household had access to another source of minimum essential coverage, including employer-sponsored plans. According to the White House, 1 million Americans will gain coverage or see their insurance become more affordable as the result of the rule.  While stakeholders have been largely supportive over the rule, some questioned whether the administration had the authority to make the changes.  The final rule goes into effect in November.

Walmart Steps into Health Care Research

Retail giant Walmart launched the Walmart Healthcare Research Institute (WHRI) on Tuesday to add more medical services to its stores and address health disparities.  The new institute will be developing new interventions and medications that can impact underrepresented communities like seniors, rural residents, women, and minority populations.  To enhance clinical trial diversity, the WHRI will initially focus on including members of underserved communities in its studies on treatments for chronic conditions.  According to Walmart, about 4,000 of its stores are located in underserved communities.  The announcement comes amid a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) effort to increase racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials.

FDA, CDC Approve Bivalent Booster for Kids 5-11

Both the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster doses from Pfizer and Moderna for children ages five to 11 earlier this week.  The bivalent boosters, which target both the original iteration of COVID-19 and the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants, were made available to all US adults last month.  Only 40% of US children ages five to 11, who have already gotten their two primary doses, are eligible for the booster.  While children are far less likely than adults to face severe consequences from COVID-19, hospitalization rates in children have increased during previous surges, and federal health officials are urging patents to get their kids vaccinated or boosted ahead of a potential new COVID-19 surge in the late fall or winter.

March of Dimes: Maternity Care “Deserts” Are Increasing

The March of Dimes painted a sobering picture of the state of maternal health care in the US in a new report that found nearly seven million women of childbearing age and half-a-million babies live in maternity care “deserts,” meaning they lack obstetric hospitals or birth centers.  More so, the report found the number of maternity care deserts has grown 2% since the release of the last report in 2020.  The report also found that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to live in maternity care deserts.  For example, about a quarter of Native American babies and 17% of Black babes are born in areas with limited or no maternity care services.  As policy solutions, the March of Dimes recommends that Congress passes legislation that will extend Medicaid postpartum coverage from 60 days to a year and expand telehealth services to bridge gaps in health care.

ICYMI: Library of Congress Kicks Off Fall Concert Series

If you’re in DC and you’re bummed about missing Jazz in the Garden this summer, don’t worry there are still plenty of opportunities to catch free live music at the Library of Congress Fall Concert Series, which officially starts tonight at the Thomas Jefferson Building.  The inaugural concert will feature Greek, English, Italian, Portuguese, French, and Japanese folk songs.  Piano and opera performances will also be on deck throughout the fall.

Administration Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency            

On Thursday, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak, giving federal agencies access to emergency funding and other resources for efforts to fight the virus’ spread.  Becerra is also considering a second declaration that would enable the Food and Drug Administration to issue emergency use authorizations for medical countermeasures like treatments and vaccines.  So far, over 616 cases detected in the US, although that total is likely an undercount. Most cases in the US are concentrated in the gay and queer community, primarily among men who have sex with men.

Administration Releases National Research Plan on Long-COVID

The Biden administration released on Wednesday a national research plan outlining a government-wide agenda focused on improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and provision of services for people experiencing long-COVID.  To meet the administration’s objectives, the research plan directs HHS to issue two reports within 120 days laying out an “actionable path forward” to address long-COVID and associated conditions.  The administration also issued a report outlining services and supports for long-COVID patients and as well as resources for individuals confronting challenges related to mental health, substance use, and bereavement.  According to a press release, the administration estimates that nearly one million Americans may be out of the workforce at any given time due to long-COVID, which equates to roughly $50 billion in lost earnings annually.

CMS Finalizes 4.3% Payment Increase for Inpatient Services in FY23

Medicare payments for hospital inpatient services will get a 4.3% boost in Fiscal Year 2023, according to a final inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) rule released on Monday.  The final rule also carries out the administration’s focus on health equity by adding health equity-focused measures to hospital reporting programs like the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program. (https://www.russillo.com/)   Among other provisions, the rule finalizes proposals to create a “birthing friendly” hospital designation, continue COVID-19 reporting requirements for hospitals, apply a budget-neutral 5% cap on any decrease to a hospital’s wage index from the prior fiscal year, and make prescription drug monitoring program queries mandatory under the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program.

ICYMI: National Air and Space Museum to Partially Reopen in October

Since March, visitors to the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC haven’t had the opportunity to view the Apollo 11 command module or the Spirit of St. Louis.  That will change on October 14 when the National Air and Space Museum partially reopens to the public following a lengthy renovation period.  In anticipation of strong interest, the museum will be requiring free timed entry passes that will be available on September 14.  Come October 14, visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to see eight new exhibits, including ones on the Wright brothers and the planets of the Solar System.