Health

VaxImpactMap is an interesting online tool that quantifies the health and economic costs of declining childhood vaccination. The tool was developed by Mahmud Sheku, Connor Van Meter, Robert Bednarczyk, and Ben Lopman at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. The tool focuses on changes these outcomes for three vaccine preventable diseases: Rotavirus, Pertussis (Whooping…

It turns out the answer is Medicare Advantage plans according to a KFF analysis released today. However the reason why Medicare Advantage is more profitable may not be obvious: At the end of 2024, gross margins per enrollee ranged from $608 in the Medicaid managed care market to $1,655 in the Medicare Advantage market. Gross…

FDA reverses its decision and will now review the Moderna flu vaccine. Could Australia be a model for FDA reform? “Pharma signals it’s done negotiating” Giant viruses. Hairy ball theorem.

After years of legislative debate, Congress has formally codified PBM reform into federal statute. Tucked within the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 7148), signed on February 3, 2026 are structural mandates that will reshape Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) operations in Medicare Part D and the commercial sector by 2028. The legislation targets three primary pillars:…

The number of hospitals owned by private equity (PE) firms has increased in recent years. One key question is how increased PE ownership has impact quality of care. To answer the question, a Jiao 2025 Health Services Research paper used claims Medicaid claims data–specifically data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) and Medicaid…