Melanie MacEachern

Freelance writer with skills and knowledge in healthcare policy, reproductive justice and art history. Skilled administrative assistant. Graduated from University of Michigan.

Author's Posts

The Year Ahead in Federal Policy and the Healthcare Industry

The Year Ahead in Federal Policy and the Healthcare Industry

With the rise of the Omicron variant continuing the COVID-19 pandemic into the foreseeable future and the Build Back Better Act stalled in Congress, the landscape of healthcare in 2022 is somewhat uncertain. Two analyses, one from the U.S. Office of Public Policy and the other from the J.P. Morgan 2022 Healthcare Conference, lend some...

STUDY: CDC Finds Deaths, Severe Outcomes Very Rare Following Vaccination

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a new report with heartening results on a study of 1.2 million fully vaccinated adults in which only 327 were hospitalized and 36 died due to COVID-19. The CDC study involved patients seen at 465 healthcare facilities across the U.S. from December 2020 to...
CMS Rules

CMS Proposed Rule: Prescription Drug Costs in MA and Part D Plans

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new proposed rule that takes aim at prescription drug costs in Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D plans. The agency said the rule would reduce out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries and improve price transparency as well as "market competition in the Part D...

Medicare Advantage: Is It a Bubble or an Opportunity for Growth?

Medicare Advantage and the hundreds of investors pumping venture capital into new MA startups rely on one thing: MA growth. For the past several years, MA has been on a quick trend upward, but as it currently only captures under 50% of the market, some are left wondering if the seemingly endless demand isn't just a giant investment...

No Surprises Act Now in Effect

The No Surprises Act, which intends to end the practice of surprise billing by banning most surprise bills from out-of-network providers went into effect on January 1. The rule will effect not only all emergency care billing and "most" nonemergency billing but will also require uninsured patients receive overviews of anticipated costs...

Medicaid Members Face Loss of Non-Medical Services with Expiration of PHE

The federal public health emergency (PHE) due to the COVID-19 pandemic is set to expire on January 16, 2022. Previously, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra extended the PHE during its prior three expirations under the Biden administration, but a lot of non-medical infrastructure for Medicaid...
COVID-19 National Update December 30, 3021 Open

COVID-19 National Update December 30, 3021

Over the holiday weekend, the Omicron variant officially became the dominant form of COVID-19 in the United States, out-competing the Delta variant that held dominance since the summer. In response to holiday travel and increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant, many Americans are seeking out rapid at-home COVID-19 tests, as well...
COVID-19 Arizona Update December 30, 2021 Arizona News

COVID-19 Arizona Update December 30, 2021

As the new year approaches, Arizona hospitals and healthcare professionals are gearing up for a new wave of COVID-19 patients to flood the intensive care units and emergency departments that have endured near-capacity numbers since the Delta variant took hold over the summer. Without respite from the prior wave and increased transmission...
National News

NAACOS Supports the ACO Assignment Improvement Act

The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) sent a letter to Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Kathleen Rice (D-NY) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) in support of a bill sponsored by the bipartisan group that would remove a statutory requirement that patients have at least one primary care visit with a physician during...
National News

Pivoting to Value-Based Care Models During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the necessity for immediate changes to the healthcare system at large and placed value-based care, the model that rewards providers for better patient outcomes, at the center of that discussion. This week, the discussion extends to population health, interoperability, and preventative...
COVID-19 National Update December 23, 2021: Omicron, Vaccine Mandates National News

COVID-19 National Update December 23, 2021: Omicron, Vaccine Mandates

The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has surged in the United States in the past week and now accounts for 73% of new infections. The CDC showed a six-fold increase in Omicron infection in a single week. In the New York area, the Southeast and the Pacific Northwest, the variant is responsible for an estimated 90% of new infections,...
COVID-19 Arizona Update December 16, 2021: Delayed Care, ICUs at Capacity Open

COVID-19 Arizona Update December 16, 2021: Delayed Care, ICUs at Capacity

Only 88 intensive care unit beds are currently available for use and 39% of ICU beds are currently in use by COVID-19 patients. Only 6% of all hospital inpatient beds remain available -- 31% are in use by COVID-19 patients. On Wednesday, Arizona reported 3,249 new cases of COVID-19 and 81 new deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only...
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