The American journal of managed care
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The question of what providers one has access to under their insurance coverage is crucial for patients in managed care. This study sought to examine information displayed in online provider directories and whether this information matched consumer preferences. ⋯ Lack of attention to usability in provider directories may hinder the national goal of ensuring care accessibility for all.
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The US is facing a growing epidemic of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with over 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in 2021 and again in 2022. This public health crisis disproportionately affects youth and racial and ethnic minority communities, exacerbating barriers to accessing sexual health services. Untreated STIs can lead to severe health consequences, including infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and increased risk of HIV transmission and acquisition. ⋯ It presents a set of opportunities to enhance STI prevention, including incentivizing syphilis screening during pregnancy through existing perinatal and maternal health efforts, leveraging extended postpartum coverage for sexual health education, integrating STI services with substance use disorder programs, supporting community-based organizations that serve relevant communities, training community-facing workers in STI care and sexual health, coordinating with local health departments, and providing enrollee access to condoms and home STI tests. Implementing these strategies could reduce STI rates and improve health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable populations. Although this commentary draws on research focused on Medicaid MCOs, a coordinated approach that includes commercial plans and coordination with health departments could ultimately enhance the consistency and quality of STI services and sexual health care across the health care system.
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This commentary, part of the Price Crisis campaign, calls for state and federal policy interventions that are needed to rebalance the market to enhance competition and provide value in health care.
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This study evaluated the uptake and costs of 3 biosimilars among Medicare and Medicaid populations for 2019 to 2022: rituximab-abbs (Truxima), rituximab-pvvr (Ruxience), and rituximab-arrx (Riabni). ⋯ Significant uptake of rituximab biosimilars in Medicare and Medicaid occurred within the first 4 years of marketing in the US.
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Neither care delivery nor public health systems have grappled with widening disparities as life expectancy gaps increase in the US. Reimagining health care and public health requires aligned incentives including attention to vulnerable populations, financial incentives to improve total population health, effective deployment of community assets, and adoption of a continuous learning system. We argue that Big Hairy Audacious Goals-targets for a Health GDP (similar to the economy's gross domestic product [GDP]), Life Expectancy, Safe and Sound Children, One Earth Policy, Social Spending, and Political Healing-can focus our attention and propel needed action.