The State of Social Security Social Security’s retirement trust fund runs out of reserves in late 2032. After that, incoming payroll taxes cover about 78 percent of scheduled benefits, an automatic 22 percent cut, unless Congress acts first. The trust fund is not a reserve of cash. It holds Treasury securities. For roughly 25 years Social Security … Continue reading
Category Archives: Healthcare
Impact of AI on Healthcare
Executive Summary Artificial Intelligence is increasingly integrated into medical practice, combining traditional AI, such as machine learning, and generative AI to improve efficiency and decrease research costs. Abridge AI, Freed AI, GE’s Critical Care Suite, and AlphaFold are FDA approved HIPAA compliant tools which automate clinical documentation, aid diagnostic imaging, and accelerate biomedical research. Despite … Continue reading
Direct Primary Care: A Divisive Yet Promising Development in Health Care
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Direct Primary Care (DPC), a subscription-based health care payment model for primary care services, is expanding in the U.S. with many favorable outcomes for both patients and providers. While the DPC model may improve quality, accessibility, and affordability of primary care, some detractors note its limitations in health care coverage and argue that … Continue reading
An Analysis of the Current Rural Health Crisis
Executive Summary: •Rural health care in the United States is facing a crisis of hospital closures and service cuts, a lack of primary care physicians, and overall negative health outcomes compared with urban and suburban areas. •Rural hospitals are cutting key services such as chemotherapy, OB services, and, in some cases, inpatient care altogether. •Rural … Continue reading
AI Regulation Updates in the Healthcare Sector
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) expands into new parts of our economy, new regulations in areas such as the healthcare sector are being proposed in 2024. In the healthcare sector, there are many concerns about the privacy and accuracy of AI algorithms, both from governments and independent organizations. As policy makers look to the future of … Continue reading
Europe / Healthcare / Home Health Services / Medicare / UN
Gear Up: A Comparison of Durable Medical Equipment in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom
Executive Summary: The United Kingdom appears to have greater utilization of Durable Medical Equipment (DME) products as compared to the US Medicare Population (over half of the UK vs 21 percent of the US Medicare population). However, this variation in utilization may be driven by definitions rather than patient need. The definition of DME varies … Continue reading
Inhaler Pricing: A Lack of Market Competition
Executive Summary: On January 8th, 2024 the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) sent letters to the CEOs of the four largest manufacturers of inhalers sold in the United States (AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Teva) launching an investigation into the high price of inhalers used for Asthma and Chronic Obstructive … Continue reading
Housing as Healthcare: Medicaid’s New Program Sparks Debate
Executive Summary: The Biden administration has encouraged states to use Medicaid funds to alleviate the homelessness crisis with around 20 states directing billions of dollars from their Medicaid program to provide short-term housing for those experiencing homelessness, with some states devoting anywhere from six to fifteen percent of its Medicaid spending to such programs. In … Continue reading
The MOM Model: New Strides and Shortcomings in the Fight Against Maternal Opioid Misuse
Executive Summary: The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center’s recent evaluation report of the first year of implementation of the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model has yet to deliver any meaningful data due to low participation. Substance Abuse is now the leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States and models like MOM … Continue reading
We Were Born to Die: STI Rates’ Exponential Increase in the U.S.
Executive Summary Sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates are dramatically increasing at a seemingly uncontrollable rate nationwide. Nearly eradicated diseases such as syphilis have made a staggering resurgence, particularly in southern states. Young adults account for nearly half of all newly reported STI cases. Introduction The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) … Continue reading
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