The Rundown | Week of 12.18.2017

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New Tax Bill May Hamper Healthcare

Should the new Republican-backed tax bill pass, ending the individual mandate, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that five million fewer people will have coverage through the individual insurance market, five million fewer will be enrolled in Medicaid and three million fewer will have employer-sponsored insurance, reports the New York Times. “The demise of the Affordable Care Act’s mandate will lead to higher premiums and lower enrollment in plans sold on the health law’s marketplace, Wendy K. Mariner, a professor of health law at Boston University, said Monday.”

>>Read more: “Without the Insurance Mandate, Health Care’s Future May Be in Doubt”

Aetna Waives Copays for Narcan in Effort to Combat Opioid Crisis

Aetna has announced that it will waive copays for Narcan for its fully-insured commercial members starting January 2018. The current copay for Narcan, which is used to help a person overdosing on opioids, is between $0 and $150, but usually falls between $30 and $40, said Aetna. Aetna will also limit opioids prescribed for acute pain and post-surgery patients to a seven-day supply for its commercial pharmacy members.

>>Read more: “Aetna announces new policies to improve access to Narcan, combat overprescribing”

Humana Invests in Delivery of Care

The Washington Post reports that Humana will move into the healthcare delivery space by purchasing a 40 percent stake in Kindred Healthcare’s home health business. This move is part of a larger industry-wide trend of insurers “managing or providing patient care in order to cut costs and improve quality. The basic idea is to help people stick with treatment plans, stay on medication and live healthy lifestyles in order to ward off expensive care like hospital stays.”

>>Read more: “Insurer Humana pushes deeper into delivery of health care”

Washington State Law Has Made it Harder to Forego Vaccines

A Washington state law requiring parents to talk to a doctor before getting their child exempted from vaccinations for non-medical reasons has contributed to the state’s overall vaccine exemption rate falling by 40 percent, US News reports. “’For those parents who are ‘vaccine-hesitant,'” Omer said, “this [policy] is about providing a fact-based discussion with your provider. Your choice about vaccination is not being taken away.’”

>>Read more: “Tougher State Laws Curb Vaccine Refusers”