Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week in managed care, the top stories included HHS Secretary Alex Azar appearing before the Senate Committee on Finance to discuss the administration's plan to drive down prescription drug prices; FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, calling on payers to share data to aid drug innovation; and CMS calling for stricter oversight of Medicaid.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

Azar Appears Before Senate Committee on Finance to Discuss Drug Innovation, Affordability: https://www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/azar-appears-before-senate-committee-on-finance-to-discuss-drug-innovation-affordability

Gottlieb Calls on Payers to Share Data to Aid Drug Innovation: https://www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/gottlieb-calls-on-payers-to-share-data-to-aid-drug-innovation

CMS Unveiling Stricter Oversight of Medicaid Due to Program Expansion: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/cms-unveiling-stricter-oversight-of-medicaid-due-to-program-expansion

What We're Reading: SCOTUS Abortion Ruling; Use of HDHPs Grows; More Seniors Die at Home: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/what-were-reading-scotus-abortion-ruling-use-of-hdhps-grows-more-seniors-die-at-home

Dr Robert A. Gabbay Highlights the Development of Joslin Diabetes Center's Clinical Guidelines: https://www.ajmc.com/interviews/dr-robert-a-gabbay-highlights-the-development-of-joslin-diabetes-centers-clinical-guidelines

Evidence-Based Diabetes Management—June 2018: https://www.ajmc.com/journals/evidence-based-diabetes-management/2018/june-2018

Exploring the Current State of Precision Medicine at the ASCO Annual Meeting by Managed Care Cast

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week in managed care, the top stories included Atul Gawande, MD, being named the CEO of the Amazon–Berkshire Hathaway–JPMorgan Chase healthcare venture; the Trump administration finalized rules for creating association health plans; an analysis found some cancer types are represented more than others in the Oncology Care Model.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase Announce CEO of Joint Health Company: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/amazon-berkshire-hathaway-jpmorgan-chase-announce-ceo-of-joint-health-company

New Rule Allows Creation of Association Health Plans That Skirt ACA Regulations, Protections: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/new-rule-allows-creation-of-association-health-plans-that-skirt-aca-regulations-protections

Participation in OCM May Transform Care for Certain Cancer Types More Quickly Than Others: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/participation-in-ocm-may-transform-care-for-certain-cancer-types-more-quickly-than-others

Implementing Alternative Payment Models for Improved Population Health: Experiences from the OCM: https://www.ajmc.com/webcast/experiences-from-the-ocm

UpWell Health Survey: 45% of Those With Diabetes Skip Care Due to Costs: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/upwell-health-survey-45-of-those-with-diabetes-skip-care-due-to-costs

A Retrospective on the Oncology Care Model: https://www.ajmc.com/journals/evidence-based-oncology/2018/june-2018/a-retrospective-on-the-oncology-care-model

Perspective: FDA/CMS Parallel Review Advances Coverage for Cancer Comprehensive Genomic Profiling: https://www.ajmc.com/journals/evidence-based-oncology/2018/june-2018/perspective-fdacms-parallel-review-advances-coverage-for-cancer-comprehensive-genomic-profiling

Evidence-Based Oncology—June 2018: https://www.ajmc.com/journals/evidence-based-oncology/2018/june-2018

Center for HOPE: Addressing Health Needs and Cancer Disparities Among Underserved Populations by Managed Care Cast

Lowering Costs And Readmission Rates Through a Meal Delivery Program by Managed Care Cast

This Week In Managed Care—Medicare Part A is Running Out and Other Health News by Managed Care Cast

Health literacy in the United States is low to begin with, and health financial literacy is even lower. The changing health insurance system is partly to blame. A few decades ago, health insurance covered everything. Now, patients have a lot more financial responsibility, and they don’t always understand it. In cancer, health financial literacy is particularly important since treatment can be so costly.

This episode of Managed Care Cast includes conversations with a few experts in the field: Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, of the Duke Cancer Institute; Clara Lambert, BBA, OPN-CG, chair of the Association of Community Cancer Centers Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee; Todd Yezefski, MD, senior fellow in the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington; and Michele McCourt, senior director of the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation.

Read more:

A Descriptive Study of Patients Receiving Foundational Financial Assistance Through Local Specialty Pharmacies: www.ajmc.com/journals/supplement/2018/the-patient-assistance-safety-net-how-many-need-help-how-many-are-helped/a-descriptive-study-of-patients-receiving-foundational-financial-assistance-through-local-specialty-pharmacies

Impact of Trained Oncology Financial Navigators on Patient Out-of-Pocket Spending: www.ajmc.com/journals/supplement/2018/the-patient-assistance-safety-net-how-many-need-help-how-many-are-helped/impact-of-trained-oncology-financial-navigators-on-patient-outofpocket-spending

Policy Improvement Areas to Reduce Financial Hardship: www.ajmc.com/conferences/pan-2018/policy-improvement-areas-to-reduce-financial-hardship

Addressing Financial Concerns at the Outset to Improve Patient Outcomes: www.ajmc.com/conferences/pan-2018/addressing-financial-concerns-at-the-outset-to-improve-patient-outcomes

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care stories include Senator Bill Cassidy's new plan to lower healthcare costs; policy recommendations from the American Diabetes Association on how to lower insulin prices; and coverage from the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

Senator Cassidy Unveils Proposal to Lower Healthcare Costs: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/senator-cassidy-unveils-proposal-to-lower-healthcare-costs

ADA Issues Recommendations Designed to Fix Insulin Pricing, Accessibility Crisis: http://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/ada-issues-recommendations-designed-to-fix-insulin-pricing-accessibility-crisis

Persephone Trial: Cutting Trastuzumab Duration by Half Safer, Efficacious in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: http://www.ajmc.com/conferences/asco-2018/persephone-trial-cutting-trastuzumab-duration-by-half-safer-efficacious-in-her2positive-breast-cancer-

Remote Monitoring Can Reduce Radiation-Related Symptoms in Head and Neck Cancer: http://www.ajmc.com/conferences/asco-2018/remote-monitoring-can-reduce-radiationrelated-symptoms-in-head-and-neck-cancer

2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting: http://www.ajmc.com/conferences/asco-2018

Pembrolizumab Improved OS, PFS as First-Line Treatment in NSCLC: http://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/pembrolizumab-improved-os-pfs-as-firstline-treatment-in-nsclc

What We're Reading: WellCare–Meridian Deal; Virginia Set to Expand Medicaid; High Court Rebuffs Planned Parenthood: http://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/what-were-reading-wellcarendashmeridian-deal-virginia-set-to-expand-medicaid-high-court-rebuffs-planned-parenthood

Seema S. Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award: http://www.ajmc.com/about/ajmc/sss-elmcr-award

With healthcare costs in the United States rising, employers have been trying to find a way to get a handle on these costs by improving employee health and well-being. Workplace wellness programs have been around for decades, but they received a boost in 2010 with the Affordable Care Act allowing companies to offer financial incentives to get employees to participate in the programs.

However, the research on these wellness programs has been mixed, to say the least, with more recent research finding that these programs don’t really work. But more than just the unclear health benefits of these programs, there are real data and privacy concerns for employees. In this podcast, Al Lewis, a famed opponent of workplace wellness programs, provides insight on just why he’s so confident these programs don’t work, and Deborah Peel, MD, outlines her privacy concerns in the age of data sharing.

Read more:

Do Wellness Outcomes Reports Systematically and Dramatically Overstate Savings? www.ajmc.com/contributor/al-lewis-jd/2017/01/do-wellness-outcomes-reports-systematically-and-dramatically-overstate-savings

Workplace Wellness Can Be Hazardous to Your Health: www.ajmc.com/contributor/al-lewis-jd/2018/05/workplace-wellness-can-be-hazardous-to-your-health

NBER's Invalidation of Wellness: Behind the Headlines: www.ajmc.com/contributor/al-lewis-jd/2018/03/nbers-invalidation-of-wellness-behind-the-headlines

Boosting Workplace Wellness Programs With Financial Incentives: www.ajmc.com/journals/issue/2017/2017-vol23-n10/boosting-workplace-wellness-programs-with-financial-incentives

​​​​​​​Employer-Sponsored Wellness Programs Attract Already Fit and Healthy Individuals: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/employersponsored-wellness-programs-attract-already-fit-and-healthy-individuals

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care stories include the finding that new guidelines will mean the number of people with hypertension will soar; research finds that most diabetes apps don’t lower glycated hemoglobin; and a health plan announced its plan to fight housing instability.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

Under 2017 Guideline, More Than 105 Million Americans Have Hypertension: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/under-2017-guideline-over-105-million-americans-have-hypertension

AHRQ Finds Very Few Diabetes Apps Improve A1C Levels: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/ahrq-finds-very-few-diabetes-apps-improve-a1c-levels

Kaiser Permanente Investing $200 Million to Address Housing Instability, Improve Health: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/kaiser-permanente-investing-200-million-to-adress-housing-instability-improve-health

FDA Expands Indication for PrEP to Reduce Risk of HIV in Adolescents: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/fda-expands-indication-for-prep-to-reduce-risk-of-hiv-in-adolescents

Rucaparib May Have Potential Clinical Benefit for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/rucaparib-may-have-potential-clinical-benefit-for-advanced-pancreatic-cancer

What Is and Is Not in Trump's Drug Pricing Plan: An Interview With Dr Michael Chernew: www.ajmc.com/managed-care-cast/what-is-and-is-not-in-trumps-drug-pricing-plan-an-interview-with-dr-michael-chernew