Week in Washington 021022

Week in Washington is brought to you by Michael Cohen, PhD. Tune in each week to read the latest on healthcare policy and get a glimpse of what’s on the horizon

Week in Washington

2/10/2022

A few notes and data points from this week

Legislation/Regulation

It was quiet this week in Washington. Most energy was focused on a continuing budget resolution and a Postal Service bill. There has been no major movements on health care related items including the revival of Build Back Better.

COVID

COVID cases and hospitalizations continued to decline. As you can see below, hospitalization rates have dramatically declined in recent weeks. Cases were down about 40% this week compared to last week.

Inflation

January inflation data was also released this week. The new data showed inflation reached the highest levels seen in nearly 40 years. An important note is that most of inflation increases have centered on durable goods (cars, food, etc.) and not services. However, there is some evidence that inflation may be increasing in services (h/t Jason Furman).

Telehealth

Fascinating data from Kaiser Family Foundation on telehealth. They found in 2021 telehealth represented about 8% of outpatient claims. Younger enrollees were far more likely to use telehealth than older enrollees.

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