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BACKGROUND: Prescriber requirements are a form of utilization management (UM) in which health plans require that a certain type of physician (eg, a rheumatologist) prescribe a drug. OBJECTIVE: To examine how a set of US commercial health plans impose prescriber requirements in their specialty drug coverage decisions. METHODS: We identified specialty drug coverage decisions from the Tufts Medical Center Specialty Drug Evidence and Coverage (SPEC) Database. SPEC includes coverage information issued by 17 large US commercial health plans. We categorized prescriber requirements as the following: (1) the drug must be prescribed in consultation, supervision, or coordination with a specialist; (2) the drug must be prescribed by a specialist (eg, a neurologist); or (3) the drug must be prescribed by a specialist with particular expertise (eg, a neurologist with expertise in spinal muscular atrophy). First, we examined how often each plan imposed prescriber requirements. Second, we determined the degree of specialization that plans required prescribing physicians to have. Third, we used Pearson's chi-square tests to examine the association between plans' use of prescriber requirements and the following drug characteristics: cancer treatment, orphan indication, pediatric indication, drug approved in the last year, black box warning, and self-administered formulation. RESULTS: Overall, health plans imposed prescriber requirements in 22.0% (1,844/8,383) of their coverage decisions, although the frequency that they did so varied (range: 0.8%-86.0%). Of prescriber requirements, 79.1% (1,459/1,844) required that the drug be prescribed in consultation, supervision, or coordination with a specialist; 18.3% (338/1,844) required that the drug be prescribed by a specialist; and 2.6% (47/1,844) required that the drug be prescribed by a specialist with particular expertise. Plans were more likely to impose prescriber requirements for drugs with the following characteristics: indicated for a pediatric population, black box warning, self-administered, and noncancer treatments (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Health plans varied in the frequency that they imposed prescriber requirements in their specialty drug coverage decisions and with respect to the degree of specialization they required prescribing physicians to have. DISCLOSURES : This study was funded by the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health at Tufts Medical Center. The center receives funding from a variety of sources, including government agencies, foundations, and pharmaceutical and device companies. The SPEC Database, which provided data for this study, is funded in part through a data subscription program to which a number of pharmaceutical companies subscribe. All authors are employed by the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health. In addition, Chambers reports speaker fees from Astellas and consulting fees from Biogen and Lundbeck. The other authors have nothing to disclose. An earlier version of this study was presented as a poster at the AMCP 2021 Virtual Meeting, April 12-16, 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused substantial disruptions in the field operations of all 3 major components of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The MEPS is widely used to study how policy changes and major shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, affect insurance coverage, access, and preventive and other health care utilization and how these relate to population health. We describe how the MEPS program successfully responded to these challenges by reengineering field operations, including survey modes, to complete data collection and maintain data release schedules. The impact of the pandemic on response rates varied considerably across the MEPS. Investigations to date show little effect on the quality of data collected. However, lower response rates may reduce the statistical precision of some estimates. We also describe several enhancements made to the MEPS that will allow researchers to better understand the impact of the pandemic on US residents, employers, and the US health care system. ( Am J Public Health . 2021;111(12):2157-2166. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306534).

Purpose: To prospectively validate a new prostate cancer risk calculator in a racially diverse population., Materials and Methods: We recently developed, internally validated and published the Kaiser Permanente Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator. This study is a prospective validation of the calculator in a separate, referral population over a 21-month period. All patients were tested with a uniform PSA assay and a standardized systematic, ultrasound-guided biopsy scheme. We report on 3 calculator models: Model 1 included age, race, PSA, prior biopsy status, body mass index, and family history of prostate cancer; Model 2 added digital rectal exam to Model 1 variables; Model 3 added prostate volume to Model 2 variables. We considered three outcomes: high-grade disease (Gleason score ≥7), low-grade disease (Gleason score=6), and no cancer. Predictive discrimination and calibration were calculated. How each model might alter biopsy frequency and outcomes at various thresholds of risk was assessed. We compared the performance of our calculator with two other calculators., Results: In 4178 patients (16.2% Asian, 11.3% African American, 13.5% Hispanic), cancer was found in 53%; 62% were Gleason score ≥7. Using a high-grade risk threshold for biopsy of ≥10%, Model 2 predictions would result in 9% of men avoiding a biopsy, while only missing 2% of high-grade cancers. At the same threshold, Model 3 predictions would result in 26% of men avoiding a biopsy, while only missing 5% of high-grade cancers. The c-statistics for Models 1, 2, and 3 to predict high-grade disease vs. low-grade or no cancer were 0.76, 0.79 and 0.85, respectively. The c-statistics for Models 1, 2, and 3 to predict any prostate cancer vs. no cancer were 0.70, 0.72 and 0.80, respectively. All models were well calibrated for all outcomes. Our Model 3 calculator had superior discrimination for high grade disease (c-statistic=0.85, 0.84-0.86) and any cancer (0.80, 0.79-0.82) compared to the PBCG calculator [(0.79, 0.78-0.80); 0.72 (0.70-0.73)] and the PCPT calculator [(0.75, 0.74-0.77); 0.69 (0.67-0.70)], respectively. In the high-grade cancer predicted risk range of 0-30%, our Model 2 was better calibrated than the PCPT and PBCG calculators., Conclusions: This validation of our calculator showed excellent performance characteristics., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose related to this work., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The Affordable Care Act requires all insurance plans sold on health insurance marketplaces and individual and small-group plans to cover 10 Essential Health Benefits (EHB), including behavioral health services. Instead of applying a uniform EHB plan design, the Department of Health and Human Services let states define their own EHB plan. This approach was seen as the best balance between flexibility and comprehensiveness, and assumed there would be little state-to-state variation. Limited federal oversight runs the risk of variation in EHB coverage definitions and requirements, as well as potential divergence from standardized medical guidelines. We analyzed 112 EHB documents from all states for behavioral health coverage in effect from 2012 to 2017. We find wide variation among states in their EHB plan required-coverage, and divergence between medical-practice guidelines and EHB plans. These results emphasize consideration of federated regulation over health insurance coverage standards. Federal flexibility in states benefit design nods to state-specific policymaking-processes and population needs. However, flexibility becomes problematic if it leads to inadequate coverage that reduces access to critical health care services. The EHBs demonstrate an incomplete effort to establish appropriate minimum standards of coverage for behavioral health services.

In public health insurance programs, federal and state regulators use network adequacy standards to ensure that health plans provide enrollees with adequate access to care. These standards are based on provider availability, anticipated enrollment, and patterns of care delivery. We anticipate that the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic will have 3 main effects on provider networks and their regulation: enrollment changes, changes to the provider landscape, and changes to care delivery. Regulators will need to ensure that plans adjust their network size should there be increased enrollment or increased utilization caused by forgone care. Regulators will also require updated monitoring data and plan network data that reflect postpandemic provider availability. Telehealth will have a larger role in care delivery than in the prepandemic period, and regulators will need to adapt network standards to accommodate in-person and virtual care delivery.

Objectives: Partitioned survival models (PSMs) are routinely used to inform reimbursement decisions for oncology drugs. We discuss the appropriateness of PSMs compared to the most common alternative, state transition models (STMs)., Methods: In 2017, we published a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Technical Support Document (TSD 19) describing and critically reviewing PSMs. This article summarizes findings from TSD 19, reviews new evidence comparing PSMs and STMs, and reviews recent NICE appraisals to understand current practice., Results: PSMs evaluate state membership differently from STMs and do not include a structural link between intermediate clinical endpoints (eg, disease progression) and survival. PSMs directly consider clinical trial endpoints and can be developed without access to individual patient data, but limit the scope for sensitivity analyses to explore clinical uncertainties in the extrapolation period. STMs facilitate these sensitivity analyses but require development of robust survival models for individual health-state transitions. Recent work has shown PSMs and STMs can produce substantively different survival extrapolations and that extrapolations from STMs are heavily influenced by specification of the underlying survival models. Recent NICE appraisals have not generally included both model types, reviewed individual clinical event data, or scrutinized life-years accrued in individual health states., Conclusions: The credibility of survival predictions from PSMs and STMs, including life-years accrued in individual health states, should be assessed using trial data on individual clinical events, external data, and expert opinion. STMs should be used alongside PSMs to support assessment of clinical uncertainties in the extrapolation period, such as uncertainty in post-progression survival., (Copyright © 2020 ISPOR–The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: The practical accessibility to medical care facilitated by health insurance plans depends not just on the number of providers within their networks but also on distances consumers must travel to reach the providers. Long travel distances inconvenience almost all consumers and may substantially reduce choice and access to providers for some., Methods: The authors assess mean and median travel distances to cardiac surgeons and pediatricians for participants in (1) plans offered through Covered California, (2) comparable commercial plans, and (3) unrestricted open-network plans. The authors repeat the analysis for higher-quality providers., Findings: The authors find that in all areas, but especially in rural areas, Covered California plan subscribers must travel longer than subscribers in the comparable commercial plan; subscribers to either plan must travel substantially longer than consumers in open networks. Analysis of access to higher-quality providers show somewhat larger travel distances. Differences between ACA and commercial plans are generally substantively small., Conclusions: While network design adds travel distance for all consumers, this may be particularly challenging for transportation-disadvantaged populations. As distance is relevant to both health outcomes and the cost of obtaining care, this analysis provides the basis for more appropriate measures of network adequacy than those currently in use., (Copyright © 2020 by Duke University Press.)

Background: Evidence demonstrates that medications for treating opioid use disorder (MOUD) -namely buprenorphine, methadone, and extended-release naltrexone-are effective at treating opioid use disorder (OUD) and reducing associated harms. However, MOUDs are heavily underutilized, largely due to the under-supply of providers trained and willing to prescribe the medications., Methods: To understand comparative beliefs about MOUD and barriers to MOUD, we conducted a mixed-methods study that involved focus group interviews and an online survey disseminated to a random group of licensed U.S. physicians, which oversampled physicians with a preexisting waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. Focus group results were analyzed using thematic analysis. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods., Results: Study findings suggest that physicians have higher perceptions of efficacy for methadone and buprenorphine than for extended-release naltrexone, including for patients with co-occurring mental health disorders. Insurance obstacles, such as prior authorization requirements, were the most commonly cited barrier to prescribing buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone. Regulatory barriers, such as the training required to obtain a federal waiver to prescribe buprenorphine, were not considered significant barriers by many physicians to prescribing buprenorphine and naltrexone in office-based settings. Nor did physicians perceive diversion to be a prominent barrier to prescribing buprenorphine. In focus groups, physicians identified financial, logistical, and workforce barriers-such as a lack of addiction treatment specialists-as additional barriers to prescribing medications to treat OUD., Conclusions: Additional education is needed for physicians regarding the comparative efficacy of different OUD medications. Governmental policies should mandate full insurance coverage of and prohibit prior authorization requirements for OUD medications.

The federal bureaucracy played a critical role in implementing most aspects of the Affordable Care Act's private insurance coverage expansion. Through brief case studies, the authors review three dimensions of this role: the development of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, rulemaking in the formulation of the essential health benefits package, and the implementation of the federal website. They relate these to themes in the public administration literature. Politics-both through state decisions and through continuing congressional action (and inaction)-pervaded the implementation process. The challenges of staffing and situating the new bureaucracy effectively changed vertical boundaries within the Department of Health and Human Services, with long-lasting consequences. Finally, the complex design of the policy itself made passage of the legislation easier but implementation much more difficult. Ultimately, however, implementation was remarkably successful, achieving improvements in coverage consistent with the Congressional Budget Office's projections., (Copyright © 2020 by Duke University Press.)

Objective: To provide new evidence on the effects of large-scale public health insurance expansions, associated with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), on the availability of specialty mental health care treatment in the United States. We measure availability with the probability that a provider accepts Medicaid., Data Source/study Setting: The National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS) 2010-2018., Study Design: A quasi-experimental differences-in-differences design using observational data., Data Collection: The N-MHSS provides administrative data on the universe of specialty mental health care providers in the United States. Response rates are above 90 percent in all years. Data cover 85 019 provider/year observations., Principal Findings: ACA-Medicaid expansion increases the probability that a provider accepts Medicaid by 1.69 percentage points, 95 percent confidence interval: [0.0017,0.0321], which corresponds to an increase from 87.27 percent pre-expansion to 90.27 percent postexpansion in expansion states or a 1.94 percent increase. We observe spillovers to Medicare, although this finding is sensitive to specification., Conclusions: This study provides evidence on the impact of ACA-Medicaid expansion on accepted forms of payment for specialty mental health care treatment. Findings suggest that expansion increases availability of providers who deliver valuable care for enrollees with severe mental illness. These findings may help policy makers reflecting on the future directions of the US health care delivery system., (© Health Research and Educational Trust.)

Background: Health reform and the merits of Medicaid expansion remain at the top of the legislative agenda, with growing evidence suggesting an impact on cancer care and outcomes. A systematic review was undertaken to assess the association between Medicaid expansion and the goals of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the context of cancer care. The purpose of this article is to summarize the currently published literature and to determine the effects of Medicaid expansion on outcomes during points along the cancer care continuum., Methods: A systematic search for relevant studies was performed in the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Three independent observers used an abstraction form to code outcomes and perform a quality and risk of bias assessment using predefined criteria., Results: A total of 48 studies were identified. The most common outcomes assessed were the impact of Medicaid expansion on insurance coverage (23.4% of studies), followed by evaluation of racial and/or socioeconomic disparities (17.4%) and access to screening (14.5%). Medicaid expansion was associated with increases in coverage for cancer patients and survivors as well as reduced racial- and income-related disparities., Conclusions: Medicaid expansion has led to improved access to insurance coverage among cancer patients and survivors, particularly among low-income and minority populations. This review highlights important gaps in the existing oncology literature, including a lack of studies evaluating changes in treatment and access to end-of-life care following implementation of expansion., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The fight over health insurance exchanges epitomizes the rapid evolution of health reform politics in the decade since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA's drafters did not expect the exchanges to be contentious because they would expand private insurance coverage to low- and middle-income individuals who were increasingly unable to obtain employer-sponsored health insurance. Instead, exchanges became one of the primary fronts in the war over Obamacare. Have the exchanges been successful? The answer is not straightforward and requires a historical perspective through a federalism lens. What the ACA has accomplished has depended largely on whether states were invested in or resistant to implementation, as well as individual decisions by state leaders working with federal officials. Our account demonstrates that the states that have engaged with the ACA most consistently appear to have experienced greater exchange-related success. But each aspect of states' engagement with or resistance to the ACA must be counted to fully paint this picture, with significant variation among states. This variation should give pause to those considering next steps in health reform, because state variation can mean innovation and improvement but also lack of coverage, disparities, and diminished access to care., (Copyright © 2020 by Duke University Press.)

Japan's Advanced Medical Care Program (AMCP) seeks to facilitate patient access to promising healthcare technologies through National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage. This study aimed to examine AMCP's contribution to the accelerated introduction of new technologies through NHI coverage. AMCP-type B technologies registered May 2006-March 2019 were examined. To investigate the use of AMCP for NHI coverage, data from the AMCP website and from regulatory authority documents were used. Of 127 AMCP-type B technologies, 38 underwent final review. Fifteen technologies were successfully introduced into NHI coverage. Eight technologies introduced directly through the Advanced Medical Care Conference were related to medical devices. Other technologies, including drugs, required additional accelerated frameworks for market approval. A strategic approach with the careful selection of target therapeutic technologies and accelerated frameworks is key for the rapid introduction of medical technologies through AMCP., (© 2020 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.)

The heavy economic burden of work-related injury/illness falls not only on employers and workers' compensation systems, but increasingly on health care systems, health and disability insurance, social safety net programs, and workers and their families. We present a flow diagram illustrating mechanisms responsible for the financial burden of occupational injury/illness borne by social safety net programs and by workers and their families, due to cost-shifting and gaps in workers' compensation coverage. This flow diagram depicts various pathways leading to coverage gaps that may shift the burden of occupational injury/illness-related health care and disability costs ultimately to workers, particularly the most socioeconomically vulnerable. We describe existing research and important research gaps linked to specific pathways in the flow diagram. This flow diagram was developed to facilitate more detailed and comprehensive research into the financial burden imposed by work-related injury/illness, in order to focus policy efforts where improvement is most needed.

Changes in the health insurance coverage landscape in the United States during the past decade have important implications for receipt and affordability of cancer care. In this paper, we summarize evidence for the association between health insurance coverage and cancer prevention and treatment. We then discuss ongoing changes in health care coverage, including implementation of provisions of the Affordable Care Act, increasing prevalence of high-deductible health insurance plans, and factors that affect health care delivery, with a focus on vertical integration of hospitals and providers. We summarize the evidence for the effects of the changes in health coverage on care and discuss areas for future research with the goal of informing efforts to improve cancer care delivery and outcomes in the United States.

Objective: Diabetes is a chronic health condition contributing to a substantial burden of disease. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 10.9 million people were newly insured by Medicaid between 2013 and 2016. Considering this coverage expansion, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could significantly affect people with diabetes in their management of the disease. This study evaluates the impact of the Medicaid expansion under the ACA on diabetes management., Research Design and Methods: This study includes 22,335 individuals with diagnosed diabetes from the 2011 to 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. It uses a difference-in-differences approach to evaluate the impact of the Medicaid expansion on self-reported access to health care, self-reported diabetes management, and self-reported health status. Additionally, it performs a triple-differences analysis to compare the impact between Medicaid expansion and nonexpansion states considering diabetes rates of the states., Results: Significant improvements in Medicaid expansion states as compared with non-Medicaid expansion states were evident in self-reported access to health care (0.09 score; P = 0.023), diabetes management (1.91 score; P = 0.001), and health status (0.10 score; P = 0.026). Among states with large populations with diabetes, states that expanded Medicaid reported substantial improvements in these areas in comparison with those that did not expand., Conclusions: The Medicaid expansion has significant positive effects on self-reported diabetes management. While states with large diabetes populations that expanded Medicaid have experienced substantial improvements in self-reported diabetes management, non-Medicaid expansion states with high diabetes rates may be facing health inequalities. The findings provide policy implications for the diabetes care community and policy makers., (© 2019 by the American Diabetes Association.)

The phenomenon of son preference in India and the declining number of girls due to such a mindset has been an area of concern. While the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act and the Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao scheme have been the mainstay of the government's initiative to counter this reproductive injustice, recognizing son preference and crime against women as public health concern opens up a new vista to counter this injustice. This study has identified that the public health system needs to engage with the following aspects to counter the problem: counseling services to women and men around fertility choices; access/availability to contraceptive choices; engaging men and boys in developing a response against violence; gender-sensitive training and capacity building; access to sexual and reproductive rights awareness amongst girls, women, boys, and men; and health insurance for senior citizens., Competing Interests: None

Background: Cancer control programs have added patient navigation to improve effectiveness in underserved populations, but research has yielded mixed results about their impact on patient satisfaction. This study focuses on three related research questions in a U.S. state cancer screening program before and after a redesign that added patient navigators and services for chronic illness: Did patient diversity increase; Did satisfaction levels improve; Did socioeconomic characteristics or perceived barriers explain improved satisfaction., Methods: Representative statewide patient samples were surveyed by phone both before and after the program design. Measures included satisfaction with overall health care and specific services, as well as experience of eleven barriers to accessing health care and self-reported health and sociodemographic characteristics. Multiple regression analysis is used to identify independent effects., Results: After the program redesign, the percentage of Hispanic and African American patients increased by more than 200% and satisfaction with overall health care quality rose significantly, but satisfaction with the program and with primary program staff declined. Sociodemographic characteristics explained the apparent program effects on overall satisfaction, but perceived barriers did not. Further analysis indicates that patients being seen for cancer risk were more satisfied if they had a patient navigator., Conclusions: Health care access can be improved and patient diversity increased in public health programs by adding patient navigators and delivering more holistic care. Effects on patient satisfaction vary with patient health needs, with those being seen for chronic illness likely to be less satisfied with their health care than those being seen for cancer risk. It is important to use appropriate comparison groups when evaluating the effect of program changes on patient satisfaction and to consider establishing appropriate satisfaction benchmarks for patients being seen for chronic illness.

Background: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has numerous requirements for coverage of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII; insulin pump). Due to recent improvements in diabetes treatment, people with type 1 diabetes are living longer, resulting in an increase in the number of individuals who are eligible for Medicare and are impacted by CMS policies regarding CSII., Methods: Two hundred forty-one adults with type 1 diabetes who had been on CSII with CMS coverage for at least 6 months were surveyed. Median age was 67 years, mean A1c was 7.0%, 64% were women, 93% were white, and the median type 1 diabetes duration was 42 years. Participants reported median CSII use of 15 years and 82% were on CSII before starting CMS., Results: Of those starting CSII while on CMS, challenges included cost of supplies (29%) or the insulin pump (24%). The majority (57.5%) reported issues with obtaining supplies, the most common problems being delays in release of supplies (29%), difficulty getting paperwork completed (23.5%), and seeing a health care provider every 90 days (18%). Participants reported changing their CSII behaviors because of supply delays (39%) including leaving site in place >3 days (64%), and reusing pump supplies (34%). Consequently, participants reported adverse outcomes including more erratic (48%) or higher (42%) blood glucose and pain or irritation at sites (34%)., Conclusion: This study concluded that current CMS CSII policies promote adverse CSII behaviors and outcomes in type 1 diabetes and thus call for changes in the CMS CSII policies.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has become a key goal of health policy in many developing countries. However, implementing UHC poses tough policy choices about: what treatments to provide (the depth of coverage); to what proportion of the population (the breadth of coverage); at what price to patients (the height of coverage). This paper uses a theoretical mathematical programming model to derive analytically the optimal balance between the range of services provided and the proportion of the population covered under UHC, using the general principles of cost-effectiveness analysis. In contrast to most CEA, the model allows for variations in both the costs of provision and the social benefits of treatments, depending on the deprivation level of the population. We illustrate empirically the optimal trade-off between the size of the benefits package and the proportion of the population securing access to each treatment for a hypothetical East African country, based on WHO data on the costs and benefits of treatments at different coverage levels. We begin with a scenario allowing coverage levels to vary, then apply differential equity weights to the benefits of coverage, and finally illustrate a scenario where interventions are either provided at 95% coverage or not at all (as is usually done in health benefits package design) for comparison. The results present the optimal trade-off between the social benefits of pursuing full population coverage, at the expense of expanding the benefits package for 'easier to reach' populations., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Among the three medications approved for the treatment of opioid use disorder, methadone has been in use for the longest period and has the most extensive evidence base of effectiveness. Yet it remains underutilized as new insurance policies favor access to buprenorphine and neglect to dismantle barriers to obtaining methadone. In the absence of wholesale regulatory change, private insurance carriers should take the lead in expanding access to this medication. We offer several solutions for private payers, including expanding coverage, removing prior authorization, addressing out-of-pocket costs, increasing provider reimbursement, and incentivizing system integration.

Improvements in geospatial health data and tailored human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, prevention and treatment have led to greater microtargeting of the HIV response, based on location, risk, clinical status and disease burden. These approaches show promise for achieving control of the HIV epidemic. At the same time, United Nations Member States have committed to achieving broader health and development goals by 2030, including universal health coverage (UHC). HIV epidemic control will facilitate UHC by averting the need to commit ever-increasing resources to HIV services. Yet an overly targeted HIV response could also distort health systems, impede integration and potentially threaten broader health goals. We discuss current approaches to achieving both UHC and HIV epidemic control, noting potential areas of friction between disease-specific microtargeting and integrated health systems, and highlighting opportunities for convergence that could enhance both initiatives. Examples of these programmatic elements that could be better aligned include: improved information systems with unique identifiers to track and monitor individuals across health services and the life course; strengthened subnational data use; more accountable supply chains that supply a broad range of services; and strengthened community-based services and workforces. We argue that the response both to HIV and to broader health threats should use these areas of convergence to increase health systems efficiency and mitigate the harm of any potential decrease in health funding. Further investments in implementation and monitoring of these programme elements will be needed to make progress towards both UHC and HIV epidemic control., ((c) 2020 The authors; licensee World Health Organization.)

Background: Bariatric surgery remains underutilized at a national scale, and insurance company reimbursement is an important determinant of access to these procedures. We examined the current state of coverage criteria for bariatric surgery set by private insurance companies., Methods: We surveyed medical policies of the 64 highest market share health insurance providers in the USA. ASMBS guidelines and the CMS criteria for pre-bariatric evaluation were used to collect private insurer coverage criteria, which included procedures covered, age, BMI, co-morbidities, medical weight management program (MWM), psychosocial evaluation, and a center of excellence designation. We derive a comprehensive checklist for pre-bariatric patient evaluation., Results: Sixty-one companies (95%) had defined pre-authorization policies. All policies covered the RYGB, and 57 (93%) covered the LAGB or the SG. Procedures had coverage limited to center of excellence in 43% of policies (n = 26). A total of 92% required a BMI of 40 or above or of 35 or above with a co-morbidity; however, 43% (n = 23) of policies covering adolescents (n = 36) had a higher BMI requirement of 40 or above with a co-morbidity. Additional evaluation was required in the majority of policies (MWM 87%, psychosocial evaluation 75%). Revision procedures were covered in 79% (n = 48) of policies. Reimbursement of a second bariatric procedure for failure of weight loss was less frequently found (n = 41, 67%)., Conclusions: A majority of private insurers still require a supervised medical weight management program prior to approval, and most will not cover adolescent bariatric surgery unless certain criteria, which are not supported by current evidence, are met.

Prior authorization (PA) and step therapy (ST) are utilization management tools that have been in use by managed care organizations for decades. These processes require that health care providers obtain advanced approval to qualify a specific product for coverage from a health plan before it is delivered to the patient. These tools are intended to ensure that patients have access to evidence-based medications while payers remain good stewards of limited health care resources. PA and ST are growing in use to support appropriate use of medications and manage associated costs but may pose challenges related to administrative burden and access to care. In June 2019, the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) conducted a multistakeholder forum to identify processes for optimizing PA and ST utilization management programs. Health care leaders representing academia, health plans, integrated delivery systems, pharmacy benefit managers, employers, federal government agencies, national health care provider organizations, and patient advocacy organizations participated in the forum. Participants explored current operations of these programs, evaluated stakeholder perspectives on opportunities to improve these programs, and provided recommendations for next steps. They also reviewed current federal and state legislative and regulatory activities to reform PA and ST processes and offered guidance to support program improvements. The goal of the forum was to gather stakeholder input to inform the development of recommendations to improve efficiencies around PA and ST processes; provide recommendations to address administrative burdens; increase the visibility of the clinical and economic value of PA and ST utilization management programs; collect, review, and disseminate data-driven, real-world experiences of PA programs that support clinical and economic value; collect and disseminate best practices around PA appeals and denial processes; and improve channels of communications between health insurance providers, health care professionals, and patients to minimize care delays and improve clarity of coverage authorization requirements. DISCLOSURES: This AMCP Partnership Forum was sponsored by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Merck, the National Pharmaceutical Council, and Takeda. These proceedings were prepared as a summary of what occurred at the forum to represent common themes; they are not necessarily endorsed by all attendees nor should they be construed as reflecting group consensus.

In order to increase access to medical services, expanding coverage has long been the preferred solution of policy makers and advocates alike. The calculus appeared straightforward: provide individuals with insurance, and they will be able to see a provider when needed. However, this line of thinking overlooks a crucial intermediary step: provider networks. As provider networks offered by health insurers link available medical services to insurance coverage, their breadth mediates access to health care. Yet the regulation of provider networks is technically, logistically, and normatively complex. What does network regulation currently look like and what should it look like in the future? We take inventory of the ways private and public entities regulate provider networks. Variation across insurance programs and products is truly remarkable, not grounded in empirical justification, and at times inherently absurd. We argue that regulators should be pragmatic and focus on plausible policy levers. These include assuring network accuracy, transparency for consumers, and consumer protections from grievous inadequacies. Ultimately, government regulation provides an important foundation for ensuring minimum levels of access and providing consumers with meaningful information. Yet, information is only truly empowering if consumers can exercise at least some choice in balancing costs, access, and quality., (Copyright © 2019 by Duke University Press.)

Background: In China, the local health insurance coverage is usually related to timely reimbursement of hypertensive care in primary care settings, while health insurance that is not local could represent an obstacle for accessibility and affordability of primary care for hypertensive patients., Objective: To investigate whether local health insurance schemes have a positive impact on hypertension management and control., Design: We performed an on-site, face-to-face, patients survey in community health centres (CHCs) in Shenzhen, China., Setting and Participants: Hypertensive patients seeking healthcare from CHCs were selected as study participants using a systematic sampling design., Main Measures: We obtained information about insurance status, social capital, drug treatment and control of hypertension. Multivariable stepwise logistic regression models were constructed to test the associations between insurance status and hypertension management, as well as insurance status and social capital., Results: A total of 867 participants were included in the final study analysis. We found that the participants covered by local insurance schemes were more likely to be managed in primary care facilities (61.1% vs 81.9%; OR=2.58, 95% CI: 1.56 to 4.28), taking antihypertensive drugs (77.2% vs 88.0%; OR=2.23, 95% CI: 1.37 to 3.62) and controlling blood pressure (43.0% vs 52.4%; OR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.03 to 2.07) when compared with those with insurance coverage that is not local. The participants covered by local insurance schemes reported a higher score of perceived generalised trust than those without (4.23 vs 3.97; OR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.53 to 0.86)., Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that local health insurance coverage could help improve management and control of hypertension in a primary care setting. Policymakers suggest initiating social interventions for better management and control of hypertension at the primary care level, although the causal pathways across insurance status, social capital and control of hypertension deserve further investigations., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is increasingly focused on value-based payment programs, which tie payment to performance on quality and cost measures. In this context, there is rising concern that such programs systematically disadvantage providers that care for vulnerable populations, such as the poor, by holding the providers accountable for factors beyond their control that influence patient outcomes and utilization. In this nationally representative study of Medicare beneficiaries, we found that dually enrolled Medicare beneficiaries (those also enrolled in Medicaid) had strikingly higher levels of medical, functional, and cognitive comorbidities, as well as social needs, compared to their non-dually enrolled counterparts. Dual enrollees also had significantly higher annual costs of care. Including functional, cognitive, and social factors in cost prediction, in addition to risk factors derived from medical claims, improved risk prediction and decreased differences between dual and nondual enrollees. Medicare could consider such adjustment to improve accuracy and fairness in value-based payment programs.

Since the implementation of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), readmissions have declined for Medicare patients with conditions targeted by the policy (acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia). To understand whether HRRP implementation was associated with a readmission decline for patients across all insurance types (Medicare, Medicaid, and private), we conducted a difference-in-differences analysis using information from the Nationwide Readmissions Database. We compared how quarterly readmissions for target conditions changed before (2010-12) and after (2012-14) HRRP implementation, using nontarget conditions as the control. Our results demonstrate that readmissions declined at a significantly faster rate after HRRP implementation not just for Medicare patients but also for those with Medicaid, both in the aggregate and for individual target conditions. However, composite Medicaid readmission rates remained higher than those for Medicare. Throughout the study period privately insured patients had the lowest aggregate readmission rates, which declined at a similar rate compared to nontarget conditions. The HRRP was associated with nationwide readmission reductions beyond the Medicare patients originally targeted by the policy. Further research is needed to understand the specific mechanisms by which hospitals have achieved reductions in readmissions.

In recent years, the prevalence of infertility has increased due to delayed childbearing and an increase in the rate of male infertility. Given the high cost of fertility treatment, this option is not valid for families with a low income, and those who can afford it usually choose to have multiple embryo transfer, which has led to an increase in multiple birth rates and an increase in the cost of perinatal care. Due to the expected increase in infertility and decrease in the national live birth rate, the US should set a plan to fund infertility treatment and lead a policy for single embryo transfer. This will offset the decrease in the national birth rates and decrease expenditure on perinatal and neonatal complications resulting from multiple births.

Background: Uninsured trauma patients have worse outcomes and worse access to post-discharge care that is critically important for recovery after injury. Little is known regarding the impact of the insurance coverage expansion policies of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), most notably state-level Medicaid expansion, on trauma patients. In this study, we examine the national impact of these policies on payer mix, inpatient mortality, and access to post-acute care for trauma patients., Methods: We used the 2011-2016 National Trauma Data Bank to evaluate for changes in insurance coverage among trauma patients 18-64 years old. Our pre-/post-expansion models defined 2011-2013 as the pre-policy period, 2015-2016 as the post-policy period, and 2014 as a washout year. To evaluate for policy-associated changes in inpatient mortality and discharge disposition among the policy-eligible sample, we leveraged multivariable linear regression techniques to adjust for year-to-year variation in patient demographics, injury characteristics, and facility traits. We then examined the relationship between the magnitude of facility-level reductions in uninsured patients and access to post-acute care after policy implementation., Results: We identified 1,656,469 patients meeting inclusion criteria between 2011 and 2016. The pre-policy uninsured rate of 23.4% fell by 5.9 percentage-points after coverage expansion (p < 0.001), with a corresponding 7.5 percentage-point increase in Medicaid coverage (p < 0.001). After policy implementation, there were no significant changes in inpatient mortality. However, there was a >30% relative increase in discharge to a post-acute care facility and a similar increase in discharge with home health services (p < 0.001 for both). The greatest gains in access to post-acute services were seen among facilities with the greatest reductions in their uninsured rate (p = 0.003)., Conclusion: ACA-related coverage expansion policies, most notably Medicaid expansion, were associated with a >25% reduction in the uninsured rate among non-elderly adult trauma patients. Although no immediate impact on inpatient mortality was seen, insurance coverage expansion was associated with a higher proportion of patients receiving critically important post-discharge care., Level of Evidence: Epidemiological, level III.

We study whether the experience rating of employers' disability insurance premiums affects the inflow to disability benefits in Finland. To identify the causal effect of experience rating, we exploit kinks in the rule that specifies the degree of experience rating as a function of firm size. Using comprehensive matched employer-employee panel data, we estimate the effects of experience rating on the inflow to sickness and disability benefits. We find that experience rating has little or no effect on either of these outcomes., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper explores the relationship between insurer competition and health plan benefit generosity by examining the impact of a regulatory change that caused the cancellation of 40% of the private plans in Medicare. I isolate cancellation's causal effect by using variation induced by insurers canceling all plans nationally. Results show that insurers in markets affected by cancellation reduced the benefit generosity of the plans remaining in the market. In the average market, out-of-pocket costs for a representative beneficiary enrolled in plans not directly affected by the policy increased by $91 annually. In the least competitive markets, out-of-pocket costs increased by roughly $64-$127 a year for enrollees in those plans. Meanwhile in the most competitive markets, benefit generosity barely changed. These findings have crucial implications for markets such as health insurance exchanges, as they suggest that plan generosity is degraded when competition declines., (Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objectives: This study uses the abortion visit as an opportunity to identify women lacking well-woman care (WWC) and explores factors influencing their ability to obtain WWC after implementation of the Affordable Care Act., Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with low-income women presenting for induced abortion who lacked a well-woman visit in more than 12 months or a regular health care provider. Dimensions explored included 1) pre-abortion experiences seeking WWC, 2) postabortion plans for obtaining WWC, and 3) perceived barriers and facilitators to obtaining WWC. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using ATLAS.ti., Results: Thirty-four women completed interviews; three-quarters were insured. Women described interacting psychosocial, interpersonal, and structural barriers hindering WWC use. Psychosocial barriers included negative health care experiences, low self-efficacy, and not prioritizing personal health. Women's caregiver roles were the primary interpersonal barrier. Most prominently, structural challenges, including insurance insecurity, disruptions in patient-provider relationships, and logistical issues, were significant barriers. Perceived facilitators included online insurance procurement, care integration, and social support., Conclusions: Despite most being insured, participants encountered WWC barriers after implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Further work is needed to identify and engage women lacking preventive reproductive health care., (Copyright © 2018 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mandatory quality disclosure often includes a period over which the quality of new entrants is unreported. This provides the opportunity for forward-looking firms to adjust product characteristics in advance of disclosure. Using comprehensive data on Medicare Advantage (MA) from 2007 to 2015, I exploit the design of the MA Star Rating program to examine the presence of forward-looking behavior among insurers. I find that high-quality insurers reduce prices leading up to quality disclosure, while low-quality insurers increase prices in advance of quality disclosure. These dynamics are consistent with firms anticipating a future change in consumer inertia and updating current-period prices accordingly., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Medicare, a federally funded insurance program in the United States, is a complex program about which many physicians may not receive formal training or education. Plastic surgeons, residents, and advanced practitioners may benefit from at least a basic understanding of Medicare, its components, reimbursement methods, and upcoming health care trends. Medicare consists of Parts A through D, each responsible for a different form of insurance coverage. Medicare pays hospitals, physicians, and graduate medical education. Since the introduction of Medicare, several reforms and programs have been introduced, particularly in recent years with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Many of these changes are moving reimbursement systems away from the traditional fee-for-service model toward quality-of-care programs. The aim of this review is to provide a brief history of Medicare, explain the basics of coverage and relevant reforms, and describe how federal insurance programs relate to plastic surgery both at academic institutions and in a community practice environment.

In a model where patients face budget constraints that make some treatments unaffordable without health insurance, we ask which treatments should be covered by universal basic insurance and which by private voluntary insurance. We argue that next to cost effectiveness, prevalence is important if the government wants to maximize the welfare gain that it gets from its health budget. Conditions are derived under which basic insurance should cover treatments that are mainly used by high risk agents with low income., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) have traditionally been viewed as an underinsured population. Whether this is true in the Affordable Care Act era is unknown. We determined insurance patterns in ACHD patients compared to the non-ACHD cardiology population in a contemporary cohort., Methods: All cardiology outpatient visits between July 2016 and February 2017 to a large referral center in the United States were reviewed. The primary payer was categorized as health maintenance organization (HMO), preferred provider organization (PPO), Medicare, Medicaid, self-pay, or other. Diagnosis and lesion severity of ACHD were extracted from ICD-10 diagnostic codes and assigned according to the 2008 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association ACHD guidelines. Age-matching was used to account for baseline age differences between ACHD and non-ACHD patients., Results: E ACHD and 17 154 non-ACHD patients were identified. Without age-matching, ACHD patients were significantly younger than non-ACHD patients (mean age 38.5 vs 63.8 years). After age-matching (N = 805 in each group), mean age was 39.5 years in both groups. ACHD patients had less HMO (29.1% vs 34.7%, P = .012) and Medicaid (12.4% vs 17.3%, P = .006) coverage, but more PPO (34.4% vs 27.5%, P = .003) and Medicare (23.2% vs 18.1%, P = .005) coverage compared to non-ACHD patients. No differences were found in private insurance, public insurance, or self-pay. Lesion complexity had no effect on insurance in ACHD patients. Eligibility of parental plan coverage did not affect use of private insurance. ACHD patients in states with Medicaid expansion had higher rates of Medicaid (15.6% vs 10.6%, P = .045) but lower rates of HMO coverage (24.5% vs 31.7%, P = .036) and self-pay (0% vs 3.3%, P < .001). ACHD status, age, income, and residence in Medicaid expansion states were independent determinants of insurance types., Conclusions: In the Affordable Care Act era, ACHD patients are a well-insured population. Governmental policy has substantial effects on individual-level choice and access to insurance., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Over the past century, the organized voice of seniors has been critical in building the U.S. health safety net. Since the 2016 election, that safety net, particularly the Medicaid program, is in jeopardy. As we have seen with the rise of the Tea Party, senior support for health care programs-even programs that they use in large numbers-cannot and should not be taken for granted. This article provides a brief history of senior advocacy and an overview of the current senior organizing landscape. It also identifies opportunities for building the transformational organizing of low-income seniors needed to defend against sustained attacks on critical programs. Several suggestions are made, drawn from years of work in philanthropy, advocacy, and campaigns, for strengthening the ability to organize seniors-particularly low-income seniors-into an effective political force advocating for Medicaid and other safety net programs.

Background: The equity of rural-to-urban migrants' health care utilization is already on China's agenda. The Chinese government has been embarking on efforts to improve the financial and geographical accessibility of health care for migrants by strengthening primary care services and providing universal coverage. Patient experiences are equally vital to migrants' health care utilization. To our knowledge, no studies have focused on equity in the patient experiences between migrants and locals. Based on a patient survey from Guangdong, China, which has a large number of rural-to-urban migrants, our study assessed the equity in the primary care patient experiences between rural-to-urban migrants and urban locals in the same health insurance context, since different forms of insurance can affect the patient experiences of primary care., Methods: We stratified our samples by different insurance types into three layers. We assessed primary care patient experiences using a validated Chinese version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT), including eight primary care attributes. A 'PCAT total score' was calculated. Data were collected through face-to-face and one-on-one surveys in 2014. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used for each layer to generate comparable samples between rural-to-urban migrants and urban locals. Based on the matched dataset, a t-test was employed to compare the primary care patient experiences of the two groups., Results: Using PSM, 220 patients in the rural-to-urban migrants group were matched to 220 patients in the urban locals group. After the matching, the observed confounding variables were balanced, and the PCAT scores were almost equal between the two groups. The only slight differences existed in the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance layer and in the without basic medical insurance coverage layer., Conclusions: Equity in the primary care patient experiences between rural-to-urban migrants and urban locals seems to have been achieved to some extent. However, there is room for improvement in the equity of coordination of care and comprehensiveness. Policy makers should consider strengthening these two dimensions by integrating the health care system. More attention should be focused on helping migrants break down language and cultural barriers and improving the patient-physician communication process.

What health insurance should cover and pay for represents one of the most complex questions in national health policy. Israel shares with the US reliance on a regulated insurance market and we compare the approaches of the two countries regarding determining health benefits. Based on review and analysis of literature, laws and policy in the United States and Israel. The Israeli experience consists of selection of a starting point for defining coverage; calculating the expected cost of covered benefits; and creating a mechanism for updating covered benefits within a defined budget. In implementing the Affordable Care Act, the US rejected a comprehensive and detailed approach to essential health benefits. Instead, federal regulators established broadly worded minimum standards that can be supplemented through more stringent state laws and insurer discretion. Notwithstanding differences between the two systems, the elements of the Israeli approach to coverage, which has stood the test of time, may provide a basis for the United States as it renews its health reform debate and considers delegating decisions about coverage to the states. Israel can learn to emulate the more forceful regulation of supplemental and private insurance that characterizes health policy in the United States.

Social determinants of health come into focus to keep beneficiaries out of the hospital.