Prescription Drug Spending in Fee-for-Service Medicare, 2008-2019
How much has prescription drug spending increased from 2008-2019 for Medicare beneficiaries?
Watch this video about a recent JAMA Original Investigation: https://ja.ma/492jSZT
Medicaid Policy Associated w/ Increased Enrollment During the Pandemic
State Medicaid programs elected to maintain eligibility for Medicaid recipients in exchange for increased federal funding for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency.
Laura Dague, PhD, of the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University discusses her JAMA Health Forum article finding that this policy was associated with the higher Medicaid enrollment seen during the pandemic. JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, discuss the policy implications of this work with Dr Dague and other recent articles touching on Medicaid enrollment.
Click on the link for the full conversation: https://ja.ma/3J3HW2b
COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy: Maternal Protection and Neonatal Immunity
For COVID-19, pregnant individuals remain one of the least vaccinated groups in the US. This is concerning given the increased risks of pregnancy complications due to COVID-19, including hospitalization and preterm birth, which are preventable with vaccination. In addition, a newborn's immune system is not fully developed, and some vaccines received during pregnancy can protect an infant in early life through passive immunity via placental transfer or through breast milk. Boosting immunity in newborns through passive transfer of antibodies has received increased attention in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Politics of COVID19 Health Policy
"Everything has become so deeply politicized, so polarized, that the country has had great difficulty in calmly and rationally dealing with problems in health policy. And now we see the same pattern in the pandemic where what really ought to be uncontroversial issues of science and medicine have been plunged into political debate and have made it very hard for us as a country to deal with the problems that we face. There's really something tragic about this story." Paul Starr, PhD, of Princeton University.
Watch the complete interview at https://ja.ma/starr
