Johns Hopkins University provides us with a Wuhan coronavirus dashboard that constantly updates the spread of the virus. AJMC.com offers coverage of HHS’s Secretary Alex Azar’s press conference on the topic held earlier today.
“Americans should know that this is a potentially very serious public health threat, but, at this point, Americans should not worry for their own safety,” Azar said. Of the 4500 cases confirmed in China, the country has reported more than 100 deaths. However, “the cases that have been identified skew severe, including patients who are older or have other illnesses. The mortality rate may drop over time as we identify a broader set of cases.”
The CDC recently announced it would begin screening travelers for the virus at 20 airports, up from an initial number of 5. “We are constantly preparing for the possibility that the situation could worsen, and your health and safety has been and will be our top priority,” Azar said.
AHRQ released a chart book on employer sponsored health coverage in our country in 2018.
Between 2017 and 2018, there was no significant change in the overall percentage of private-sector employees (47.8 percent in 2018) enrolled in a health insurance plan offered by their employers (“enrollment rate”). There was also no significant change in the enrollment rate in any firm-size category.
In 2018, average annual health insurance premiums per enrolled employee with private-sector employer coverage were $6,715 for single coverage, $13,425 for employee-plus-one coverage, and $19,565 for family coverage. These amounts represent increases of 5.4 percent for single coverage, 5.0 percent for employee-plus-one coverage, and 4.7 percent for family coverage over 2017 levels
In 2018, enrolled employees paid 21.3 percent of total premiums for single coverage, 27.1 percent for employee-plus-one coverage, and 27.8 percent for family coverage (Exhibit ES.14). The employee share of total premiums in 2018 for single coverage decreased by 0.9 percentage points from its 2017 level, while the employee shares for the other two coverage types were not significantly different from their 2017 levels.
The statutory minimum employee contribution for FEHB coverage is 25% (5 U.S.C. Sec. 8906).
Finally here’s a shocking Justice Department press release concerning an electronic health records vendor Practice Fusion Inc. which agreed to pay the Government $145 million to settle criminal and civil complaints.
The resolution announced today addresses allegations that Practice Fusion extracted unlawful kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies in exchange for implementing clinical decision support (CDS) alerts in its EHR software designed to increase prescriptions for their drug products. Specifically, in exchange for “sponsorship” payments from pharmaceutical companies, Practice Fusion allowed the companies to influence the development and implementation of the CDS alerts in ways aimed at increasing sales of the companies’ products. Practice Fusion allegedly permitted pharmaceutical companies to participate in designing the CDS alert, including selecting the guidelines used to develop the alerts, setting the criteria that would determine when a healthcare provider received an alert, and in some cases, even drafting the language used in the alert itself. The CDS alerts that Practice Fusion agreed to implement did not always reflect accepted medical standards. In discussions with pharmaceutical companies, Practice Fusion touted the anticipated financial benefit to the pharmaceutical companies from increased sales of pharmaceutical products that would result from the CDS alerts. Between 2014 and 2019, health care providers using Practice Fusion’s EHR software wrote numerous prescriptions after receiving CDS alerts that pharmaceutical companies participated in designing