The Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) regulators issued a new ACA frequently asked questions (number 41) yesterday. Number 41 discusses the 2019 revised summary of benefits and coverage template and related documents intended for use in the 2021 plan year.

OPM Director Dale Cabaniss sent a letter yesterday to the federal government’s Chief Human Capital Officers about the Wuhan or novel coronavirus.

Although the risk of contracting 2019-nCoV remains very low, agencies should remind employees to use good health habits such as hand washing and encourage sick employees to seek medical treatment and use sick leave or other appropriate workplace flexibilities.  Where necessary, agencies should consider implementing social distancing, including the use of telework. 

That strikes the FEHBlog as good advice for the flu too.

The FEHBlog ran across today this Healio article which takes a deeper dive into last week’s CDC findings that drug overdose deaths dropped by 4% when comparing 2017 and 2018 statistics.

Other data published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report show that opioid prescribing rates dropped in 11 states — California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia — during 2010 to 2016. These states represent about 38% of the U.S. population, according to researchers.

Finally Beckers Hospital Review discusses a disturbing study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finding that

Visits to primary care physicians fell by 24.2 percent over the study period [2008-2016]. The proportion of adults who did not visit a primary care physician in a given year increased from 38.1 percent in 2008 to 46.4 percent in 2016.

Young adults, people without a chronic disease and individuals living in low-income areas demonstrated the largest drop in primary care visits, although the trend was visible across all age groups and income levels, according to NPR.

The study blames the unfortunate situation on rising out of pocket costs. However, the Affordable Care Act made in-network preventive care visits free. So that’s at best a partial answer. Health plans should strive to encourage strong relationships between members and their primary care physicians. The FEHBlog certainly appreciates his