By George Chapman
In the insurance business, the more clients or members the better. Huge risk pools are far more financially viable than small ones, It’s so true in healthcare. Nearly 300 insurers of small businesses have proposed premium increases of 14% for next year, which is double the increase this year. The number of people (the risk pool) covered by small groups declined 41% between 2013 and 2024 or from 17 million to 10 million people. Millions of individuals covered by ACA marketplace plans are dropping out since the subsidies were discontinued. To make things worse, most of them tend to be relatively healthy, so the remaining smaller risk pools are “unhealthier.” The insurers participating in marketplace plans HAVE TO increase premiums an average 15%. Insurance companies are NOT the problem. But hundreds of small risk pools (Medicare Advantage, traditional Medicare, small businesses, ACA marketplace, self-insured businesses, etc.) can’t all be fiscally viable unless they raise their rates every year. We need one huge risk pool, say 350 million people, for a fiscally viable health plan. It’s called Medicare for all.
CDC Director
Physician Erica Schwartz will be the first black female to lead the embattled CDC. Her predecessor, Susan Monarez, was abruptly fired by secretary Kennedy after just a month on the job. She refused to prematurely approve various vaccine policy changes. Schwartz will start amid renewed COVID-19 conspiracy theories and increased vaccine hesitancy. Schwartz said at her confirmation hearing she will be committed to “radical transparency and unwavering scientific integrity.” As CDC director she will be responsible for coordinating federal and state responses to disease outbreaks, like measles and cyclosporiasis and other health emergencies. She said, “I will follow the science wherever it leads,” but was not forthright (understandably) if Kennedy ordered her to act contrary to prevailing scientific evidence. Schwartz brings extensive experience to the position She was deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first term and served on the board of UnitedHealth Group. Needless to say, she will be working in a hyper—politicized situation.
Fauci Replacement
Steven Quay could be Fauci’s replacement as head of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases or NIAID. He will control $6.5 billion in health research funding and he will be the nation’s “expert” during the next pandemic. (Good luck with that.) The pharmaceutical executive gained notoriety for his books suspecting the COVID virus started in a Chinese lab. As of this writing, he is still being vetted. Just thinking, but up until the COVID pandemic, who knew (or cared) who the director of the NIAID was? As is Schwartz, who was named to head the CDC, Quay is walking into a hyper-politicised situation.
MAHA?
Make America Healthy Again? I’m confused. The FDA recently granted marketing authorization to Helix Innovations, manufacturer of vaping and kratom products, for new flavors for nicotine pouch products. In case you’re interested, the new flavors are cappuccino 2 and 4 mgs, berry and autumn spice. Sounds good. Yum. But the senate finance committee has launched an investigation revolving around “pay to play” or quid pro quo. Apparently, Helix Innovations made generous donations to the campaigns of both Trump and Kennedy. The FDA claims it is simply streamlining the review process for premarket tobacco product applications. Nothing to see here. Whatever. But does this make America healthy again? (Kratom is a tropical plant that acts as a stimulant. Regular use can lead to addiction.)
AHRQ Trashed
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was allocated $345 million for this fiscal year. Its mission is to improve our healthcare and patient safety. But the agency has been trashed. Its budget was slashed to $15 million and 75 staff were fired. More than 100 research grants were canceled. It hasn’t awarded a new grant in more than a year. If you think healthcare is confusing, expensive, hard to access, tough to navigate and overall a mess, too bad. Apparently, people in Washington think everything is just peachy. If you’re wondering what’s going on, you are not alone. Cutting AHRQ, CDC, FDA, etc. funding only exacerbates the anxiety and frustration felt by most of us. Healthcare has been getting only lip service and Band—Aid “solutions” help from our politicians. Medicare for all deserves serious consideration. Slashing benefits, staffing and funding is not the answer.
Autism
This hits close to home for millions and serious science-based research is critical to discovering the causes of autism. Quack theories need to be quickly refuted. A national study involving more than 2.5 million children by the University of Washington found no association between receiving the MMR vaccine and autism. The study followed children up until age 8. Even Kennedy finally acknowledged the study and the efficacy of the MMR vax. Kennedy also encouraged parents to vaccinate their children against measles. It’s 97% effective. Another nationwide study by Johns Hopkins School of Public Health found no correlation between circumcisions and autism. Of the 2,800 boys in the study, 6% of circumcised boys were diagnosed with autism, while 9% of the uncircumcised boys had autism. It’s a shame studies are performed to refute quack theories while hundreds of legitimate research projects are defunded.
Abortion
It’s currently legal in 30 states including New York. Twenty states either ban it or restrict it to the first six weeks. In June 2022, in the Dobbs versus Jackson Women’s Health case, the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade that federally protected abortion. It ruled that the US constitution (so the federal government) does not confer a woman’s right to an abortion. The Supreme Court tossed the divisive and controversial issue down to the states. As of this writing, Todd Blanche, the new US Attorney General, has made it clear he intends to make abortion illegal in all 50 states. He also intends to make telehealth prescriptions and related mail delivery of abortion pills like mifepristone illegal. More to come on this.