Axios Vitals: Stuck with "junk"

Plus, new variants raise concerns | Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By UnitedHealthcare   Axios Vitals By Tina Reed · Oct 19, 2022 We're midway through the week, Vitals readers. Today's newsletter is 890 words or a 3½-minute read. 🤰 1 fun thing: Remote work likely contributed to a mini baby boom in 2021 — a major reversal of a years-long decline in the national birth rate, Axios' Emily Peck reports.     1 big thing: Hill Dems frustrated with Biden inaction on "junk" health insurance Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   The Biden administration is catching flak from congressional Democrats upset it hasn't limited "short-term" health insurance plans that can erode the Affordable Care Act's insurance markets, Axios' Peter Sullivan writes. Why it matters: The Trump administration promoted these cheaper plans that offer fewer benefits, which have been derided by Democrats for not meeting ACA coverage requirements and for the way they can deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. But almost two years into the Biden administration and with ACA enrollment season due to start next month, the plans remain available and could draw healthier enrollees away from ACA exchanges, potentially skewing risk pools. What they're saying: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) said in a statement to Axios that she is "frustrated" the Biden administration has not "moved quicker" to roll back the short-term plans. Between the lines: The Trump administration expanded short-term health insurance plans from a three-month limit imposed under President Obama to a full year, and allowed them to be renewed for up to 36 months. Critics point out the plans do not have to pay for prescription drugs or mental health and that people can be tricked by deceptive marketing. The other side: Brian Blase, a former Trump administration health official who's now president of the Paragon Health Institute, said the plans offer people another option, with "flexible, affordable" coverage. But he said he is "surprised" that the Biden administration has not yet moved to restrict them. Go deeper: Patient advocacy groups including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society met in August with administration officials including CMS administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, who said action on short-term plans was a priority, according to Katie Berge, the group's federal government affairs director. "They keep saying 'soon,' but I don't know if you can call it 'soon' if you say it for two years," Berge said.     2. New alphabet soup of concerning variants Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Multiple versions of the Omicron variant are emerging around the world, raising concerns that a new COVID-19 wave could be driven by a host of strains, rather than just one single one, Axios' Erin Doherty writes. Driving the news: The BA.5 variant still accounts for 68% of new cases in the U.S., per the CDC — but it's getting shoved out by emerging strains. Zoom in: These include the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, which account for about 11.4% of new cases in the U.S. and have shown themselves to "pretty troublesome" in Europe for their ability to spread, White House adviser Anthony Fauci told CBS News. BQ.1.1 is also troubling for its ability to evade monoclonal antibodies that are critical for immunocompromised people. This comes on the heels of reports of the spread of variants BA.4.6, which makes up 12.2% of new cases, and BF.7 (5.3% of cases). Finally, there's XBB, which was found circulating in Singapore and is considered the most immune-evasive version so far. Its subvariant XBB.1 has been detected in the U.S., Fortune reports. Some good news: Public health experts say the newest Omicron-specific boosters, or bivalent vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna still appear to prevent severe disease against these variants, USA Today writes. Yes, but: This amalgamation of new COVID variants creates an awkward messaging problem for the Biden administration just about a month after President Biden proclaimed "the pandemic is over" as it seeks to convince a reluctant public to roll up their sleeves again.     3. Cardiac care impacted by provider racism: study Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios   Black patients were less likely to be referred for and receive heart pumps and transplants than white patients, according to a new study, Axios' Arielle Dreher writes. Why it matters: It's another sign of systemic bias within the health system that could limit access to lifesaving care for vulnerable populations. "We need to acknowledge our role in creating these inequities and hopefully move forward and be part of the change," Thomas Cascino, study author and cardiologist at the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center, told Axios. Be smart: Black patients have higher rates of heart failure and are more likely to die than white patients, past research shows, and disparities in access to treatment and care have been previously noted. This latest study went further, finding that Black patients got less care even when they had access, adequate insurance coverage and an expressed desire to get treatment. What they found: Researchers studied 377 patients receiving treatment for heart failure at 21 medical centers, who were enrolled in an NIH-funded clinical trial that follows heart failure patients' trajectory. 100 of the patients were Black, and just 11 of them received a heart transplant or ventricular assist device. 22% of the remaining white patients received a heart pump or a transplant.     A message from UnitedHealthcare HouseCalls help prevent health issues among seniors     UnitedHealthcare's Medicare Advantage HouseCalls provide preventive care visits in the comfort of seniors' own homes. The highly trained nurses are thorough, spending up to an hour with seniors and following up with doctors to address any issues. Learn more.     4. Quote du jour: Biodefense strategy "We ... know that the risk of another pandemic as bad or worse than COVID is a real threat." — A senior Biden administration official speaking with reporters Tuesday about a new pandemic preparedness and biodefense strategy     5. Catch up quick 👀 The lack of an international system for approving new cancer therapies subject to clinical trials is costing as many as 2 million lives per year, researchers found. (Harvard Business Review) 🗳 South Dakota is one of 12 holdout states that have not expanded eligibility for their Medicaid programs. Voters there next month will decide whether to do so. (KHN) 🤒 Black, Hispanic and Indigenous adults are more likely to get hospitalized for the flu and less likely to be vaccinated against it compared to white adults, the CDC said. (Axios)     A message from UnitedHealthcare Better care with UnitedHealthcare's Medicare Advantage HouseCalls     Millions of Medicare Advantage seniors rely on UnitedHealthcare's free HouseCalls program, which brings important preventive care visits into their homes. Our HouseCalls program helps keep seniors out of the hospital, and members give the service a 99% satisfaction rating. Find out more.   Thanks for reading, and thanks to senior editor Adriel Bettelheim and senior copy editor Bryan McBournie for the edits. Please ask your friends and colleagues to sign up. Editor's note: The first story in yesterday's newsletter was corrected to properly identify the chief information security officer of Boston-based Cybereason as Israel Barak. Why stop here? Let's go Pro. Join the thousands of professionals reading Axios Pro: Health Tech Deals to better understand the forces shaping their industry.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. 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