Olympia lawmakers have introduced a number of measures to address one of the biggest problems facing Washington citizens: rising health care costs.
A November survey found that more than four in five people in the state are worried about whether they will be able to pay for health care in the future.
Jim Freeberg, executive director of the Patients Coalition in Washington, said the rising costs will affect the health decisions people make.
“People who can’t afford their medication skip doses or delay treatment simply because they’re so scared of receiving bills,” Freeberg observed. “We see cases like this all the time.”
The measures presented in this session will address costs on many fronts. This includes bills to address increasing health system mergers, bills to examine prescription drug prices, and bills to strengthen the powers of the Health Cost Transparency Commission created in 2020. is included.
Rising costs are also hurting businesses, said Bill Kramer, executive director of healthcare policy at Purchaser Business Group on Health. He noted that employers provide insurance to more than half of Americans, explaining that while providing insurance is valuable to employees, it is becoming less sustainable.
“Rising health care costs are putting pressure on hiring, wages and business investment, and are a real drag on the economy,” Kramer said.
One of the measures in Olympia is to reduce the power the large healthcare system has in negotiating prices with insurers.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, said the health care system would take an “all-or-nothing” approach in which providers would only contract a particular facility if they would contract all facilities in the state. said it may take or region.
“Depending on your location, it may not be the best or lowest cost option available,” Robinson said. “So they are basically using their market share to drive up healthcare costs.”
Robinson added that the Senate bill would limit non-competitive practices when negotiating prices.
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The Medical College of North Carolina is making new recommendations to improve healthcare in the state.
Proposals focus on expanding healthcare capacity, fostering healthy communities, and strengthening local cooperation. The task force explored the health system’s strengths and challenges and developed a vision for the state’s health care future.
One of the challenges is that per capita funding for public health in North Carolina has declined 30% over the past decade.
Brieanne Lyda-McDonald, project director at North Carolina Medical School, said turning the recommendations into reality will cost dollars and cents.
“If you look at the rest of the country, the per capita funding for local public health is actually a lot less,” Lida McDonald noted. “Right now, it’s $76 per capita in North Carolina.”
She compared it to the national average of $116. The group also urged finding ways to make funding sustainable and flexible according to the needs of each community. Recommendations also focus on building a stronger network of health care providers who can share data about those most in need.
Beyond funding, the group recommended greater collaboration among health care providers to make better use of public health data and build community partnerships. Lyda-McDonald said the most important element in these partnerships is to include members who trust each other.
“Ensure that public health represents and serves all the needs of community members, regardless of race or ethnicity, income or geographic location,” emphasized Lyda-McDonald.
The report also suggested doing more to recruit and retain a strong public health workforce. sharing.
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About 45% of black Americans have hypertension, also known as hypertension, compared to 31% of white Americans. A new program in Southern California is now working to bring the numbers down.
The American Heart Association is working with the healthcare company Providence on a three-year program to narrow the divide that affects black and Latinx Californians in the Los Angeles area.
Dr. David Pryor, regional vice president and medical director of Anthem California and co-chair of the American Heart Association Los Angeles Hypertension Task Force, calls high blood pressure the “silent killer.”
“People may have high blood pressure, but they may not know it.” Only after a serious rise may you begin to notice symptoms such as headaches, chest pains and shortness of breath.”
The program installs blood pressure monitors in communities, provides medical resources for barbers and beauty salons, and trains community health workers. The Heart Association also offers a lecture series for primary care providers on treating hypertension in the Black and Latinx community.
“Knowing your numbers,” said Dr. Daniel Lewis, regional medical director of Tarzana’s Facey Medical Group and leader of the group’s Black Physicians Council, is very important.
“The way people die is, above all, a heart attack,” Lewis pointed out. “And high blood pressure is one of the main factors he’s associated with. Unfortunately, high blood pressure is highest in the black community, and with it comes heart attacks, strokes, and kidney problems.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that heart attacks will claim nearly 700,000 lives in 2020, making them the country’s leading killer.
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Big changes are underway for Medicare subscribers after historic legislation went into effect this month.
More than 1.8 million Georgians with Medicare can see low-cost premiums and deductibles, saving money on some prescription drugs.
Leigh Purvis, Senior Director of Health Care Costs and Access at the AARP Public Policy Institute, explains some of the changes.
“The first is that Medicare beneficiaries will have free access to recommended vaccines,” Purvis noted. “Second, it will limit insulin costs to $35 a month for people enrolled in Medicare prescription drug plans. It is to be taken.”
She explained that Medicare “Part B” premiums are deducted from people’s monthly Social Security payments. People who are already enrolled in both programs will be able to pocket more money each month, she noted, as benefits increased by 8.7% this year due to the Social Security cost of living adjustment.
Purvis added that more than 100,000 people in Georgia use insulin to manage their diabetes, and lowering costs could help those struggling to buy insulin.
“As long as that insulin is covered by the prescription drug plan,” Purvis explained. Because I know some people would have paid over $100 if they did.”
Purvis added that this year Medicare will begin phasing in an annual limit on how much you must spend out of your pocket on prescriptions.After 2025, the new limit will be $2,000 annually.
“And it’s a real savings, because I know people are spending over $10,000 a year on prescription drugs,” Purvis said. “People currently enrolled in a Medicare prescription drug plan will receive a relatively low and meaningful out-of-pocket limit on their annual prescription drug costs.”
Medicare price negotiations start with 10 drugs. People will know what they are by this fall, and the negotiated price he will take effect in 2026. Medicare adds more drugs each year, and patients can see as many as 60 prescription drugs by 2030 at bargain prices.
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