Health Affairs

JUST RELEASED | The November 2024 issue on Health Insurance, Pharmaceuticals & More is now available. Read the introduction from the Editor-In-Chief and explore the new issue: https://lnkd.in/gFaN7VWF

Section 1115 Medicaid waivers allow states to receive federal funding to improve opioid use disorder treatment. Stephan Lindner of Oregan Health & Science University and coauthors compare changes in medication use and nonfatal overdoses between states with and without waivers. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g3qmGxXz

New Podcast Episode Alert | What role does identity play in the health care workforce? Join Alex Keuroghlian from Fenway Health and Rhea Boyd as they explore best practices for creating safe spaces of care, and health policies critical to providing non-discriminatory care for LGBTQIA+ populations. At Fenway Health, Keuroghlian leads The Fenway Institute, which works to optimize health and well-being for sexual and gender minorities (SGM) and those affected by HIV. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eXKTVN5Q Episodes of #ResearchAndJusticeForAll drop on Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts. Sponsored by Deloitte.

In their new Forefront article, Erika Hanson, Rachel Landauer, Alissa Wassung, Maya Park, Cate Hensley, and Kathryn Garfield from Harvard Law School and the Food is Medicine Coalition argue that, at a time when policy and practice is moving toward coverage of Food Is Medicine (FIM) as benefits in insurance programs, it is both feasible and reasonable for policy makers to articulate national FIM quality standards. "It will not be easy to adapt these existing standards to FIM services and providers. And special consideration should be taken to ensure that community providers who have been successfully delivering FIM services for decades are not shut out by novel requirements. Additionally, seeking health care reimbursement is ultimately an organizational decision. However, if the goal of recent policy innovation is to eventually incorporate FIM services as fully covered benefits in Medicare, Medicaid, and other health insurance systems, quality control demands a logical alignment, application, and enforcement of existing legal and clinical requirements that regulate service delivery in those programs." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3OhatFY

Hawazin Elani of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and coauthors investigate characteristics of counties and how these factors could contribute to accessibility to adult dental care plans. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ekvixPSZ

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In their new Forefront article, Beth Boyer and Tanisha Carino from the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy discuss how generic drug repurposing is an underused but promising tool for finding new, affordable therapies. Creating a pull incentive, they argue, can spur developers to finally explore the untapped potential in these drugs. "Most drugs have more than one potential use, and in fact, that first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is just the tip of the iceberg for a drug. Researching new uses for generic drugs—also called generic drug repurposing—can unlock the full potential of the drugs on our pharmacy shelves. For example, the decades-old anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone was repurposed as a treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Thalidomide provides another example of unlocking new uses of an older drug—originally used as a sedative it was later repurposed as a treatment for leprosy and then also for multiple myeloma." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4g0ftug

It is Native American Heritage Month and we are highlighting those working to advance Native and Indigenous health equity and policy. In a March 2024 article, Kate W. Strully of the University at Albany and coauthors explore the associations between Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act and maternal health outcomes among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eC7NRq_b

Non-US citizens, who are ineligible for public health insurance, face barriers to accessing preconception, prenatal, and postpartum care. Maria W. Steenland of Brown University and Jamie R. Daw compare perinatal coverage and care use by immigration status. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/emMnFjqG

In their new Forefront article, Joel White, David Hyman, and Ge Bai from the Council for Affordable Health Coverage and The Johns Hopkins University discuss how Congress can use health savings accounts to expand gig workers’ access to more affordable health care options while providing employers with new benefit tools to attract, retain, and reward high-performing gig workers. "The booming gig economy has important positive implications for the labor force and for society generally. But gig workers are not employees, and they face significant challenges in accessing affordable health care. Those who hire gig workers also face difficulties in attracting and retaining reliable workers to fill important roles. To ensure the health and well-being of gig workers and the growth and prosperity of the gig economy, Congress should consider legislative actions to address these challenges. In this Forefront article, we describe these challenges, propose solutions, and provide several policy recommendations for federal lawmakers." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4fTmEUY