Week in Washington - 082020

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

08/20/20

COVID Trends

This week saw continued improvement in the total number of national COVID cases, although the absolute levels remain high. The decrease in the number of national cases has largely been a result of improvement in the South, with other areas of the country being flat or seeing increases.

Long-term Immunity: Part of the reason for the fluctuations is that the epidemic appears to hit areas worse that have not yet experienced high infection rates (i.e., more a rolling first wave). There is growing evidence that individuals have initial immunity, which puts some downward pressure on the transmission rates in areas hard hit (for example, the CDC found that individuals infected were protected from reinfections for at least three months). How long that immunity lasts may be a significant determinant on if/how frequently resurgences occur. For example, recent research projected resurgence timing, with the grim findings that high surveillance may be necessary into 2024 to avoid resurgence. 

Economy

• Slightly over one million Americans filed for first-time unemployment insurance. This number was higher than predicted and may be a sign the US economy’s recovery may be stalling.
• New analysis found that the economic downturn has indeed had an impact on early retirements. Since March, 2.9 million works between 55 and 70 exited the workforce. This is about 1 million more workers compared to the first three months of the Great Recession.

SCOTUS

The Supreme Court announced that it would hear the challenge to the ACA (Texas v. Azar) on November 10 (one week after the election). A decision on the case is not expected until late spring (May/June).

Research you can Use

• Garthwait et al. found that hospitals trying to attract commercial insurers invest more in quality
• HCCI found that commercial prices for professional services were, on average, 122%, of Medicare rates nationally in 2017

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