Michael Miller

Health Policy Director at Community Catalyst (@HealthPolicyHub), tweets (my own) about health policy and politics. Sign up for our blog and get the latest:

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

Great news

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

I don’t hang out on Twitter much anymore thanks to he who must not be named, but I do want to amplify this: 👇

[Community Catalyst (🦋 @communitycatalyst.org) @CommCatHealth]

#BREAKING: A broad coalition of 60+ organizations are pushing the Biden-Harris administration to help tens of millions of people from crushing medical debt.

Learn how we’re leading the fight to end #MedDebt: https://t.co/r578fEekWw

[Health Care For All @HCFA]

1/ Today, on the four-year anniversary of his passing, we remember longtime HCFA Executive Director Rob Restuccia.

Current HCFA ED Amy Rosenthal wrote a blog honoring her mentor & his legacy. Find some of her observations in this thread:
#WhatWouldRobDo #healthcareforall #mapoli

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

Love it: Remembering Long-Time HCFA Executive Director Rob Restuccia – Health Care For All https://t.co/ewDpmI1210

[Community Catalyst (🦋 @communitycatalyst.org) @CommCatHealth]

In this week’s episode of Health Policy Minute, we discuss wins from the election and what health care priorities Congress should address during the end-of-year legislative session, including Medicaid expansion and extending post-partum coverage. https://t.co/mHaMaNkRUY

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

@onceuponA In addition to suggestion for Amy or Alex at HCFA you could consider Richard Kirsch, Margarida Jorge who were at HCAN during ACA (and Margarida is again), also John McDonough who’s at TH Chan now but has been an organizer, a state legislator and a federal staffer

[Community Catalyst (🦋 @communitycatalyst.org) @CommCatHealth]

"Even in states where abortion remains legal, reproductive care is being restricted in geographic regions dominated by hospitals with refusal policies," writes @Emily_Stewart_ Community Catalyst Executive Director for @Health_Affairs

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

Yes for sure we have to look at hospital costs as a driver, but this article understates the impact of drug prices—yes 12% of total health spend but more than double that as % of ESI pure premium.

[Oriana González @ReporterOriana]

How employers are dealing with medical inflation.

Rising health costs, the anticipated end of COVID government flexibilities and the delayed care for non-COVID patients are creating a triple whammy for employers with few options to adjust.

w/ @TreedinDC
https://t.co/cnN9wGIxsF

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

Great story. I learned something new about development of health care in US. And so many takeaways—about community led solutions, about how racism and capitalism intersect in health policy and about overcoming adversity. Read/ listen. https://t.co/KNHM5LWX6q

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

Shocked

[David Mitchell @DavidP4AD]

A new JAMA study finds a lack of correlation between prices of cancer drugs and their effectiveness for patients.
"This suggests that cancer drugs are priced based predominantly on what the market will bear,” rather than clinical value for patients.
https://t.co/LbL2oORzT2

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

Yes (and also Medicaid expansion)

[Community Catalyst (🦋 @communitycatalyst.org) @CommCatHealth]

North Carolina patients struggle with #medicaldebt from hospitals claiming to lose millions of dollars on Medicare while the same hospital reports profits in filings with the federal government. More transparency is needed now. https://t.co/pbShNjNN8A

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

…and yet another study showing racial disparities. Black people w/ diabetes 50% more likely to engage in insulin rationing. On the good news side, people covered by Medicaid do it less.

[David Mitchell @DavidP4AD]

This is absolutely unacceptable in the U.S. We provided relief to folks on Medicare w/a $35 monthly copay cap in the Inflation Reduction Act. But we need to reduce insulin prices & extend lower oop to all people who are insulin dependent.
https://t.co/u6I11lUWKZ

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

In today’s health care news, two studies underscoring the prevalence of racism in health care: https://t.co/kiFNiVciPr; https://t.co/2aV73TpLG1

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

And paid at excessive interest in addition.

[Undue Medical Debt @unduemeddebt]

Much medical debt is paid using credit cards, meaning it doesn't register as medical debt — it's anonymized as credit card debt.
That means that medical debt paid with credit cards is still going to appear on credit reports going forward.

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

Great report. Clear from recommendations that a lot more needs to be done to address growing underinsured problem among those w ESI.

[Eva Stahl @EvaMarieStahl]

"Americans have amassed billions of dollars in medical debt as a consequence of inadequate insurance coverage" So much to unpack - thank you @commonwealthfnd for shining a light on the #medicaldebt crisis👇 https://t.co/Qgxq5plDo4

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

New evidence that high prescription drug prices are not a reflection of R&D costs. What a surprise. https://t.co/J7BQjeL4VC

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

So true…

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

We need lower unit prices and better coverage both

[David Mitchell @DavidP4AD]

Drug companies use patient "charities" to sell more drugs at ever higher prices. They are not charities at all, but in fact turn a profit for drug companies. We need to do away with copay support and so-called "charities," and simply lower prices. https://t.co/F7pPUKCm32

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

Medicare capping/ negotiating prices won’t CAUSE private market prices to go up, but you can be pretty sure that it will be used as an excuse for price increases that PhRMA would do anyway. https://t.co/8iXutASucq

[Michael Miller @hlthcaremike]

Just a prelude to what we can expect from PhRMA when it comes time to implement the drug price negotiation and inflation rebate rules.

[Bob Herman @bobjherman]

Final rules on surprise medical bills are coming out soon. Lobbyists for air ambulances and ER physicians — groups infamous for their surprise billing — have been particularly eager to influence the outcome. https://t.co/aUOeh5hOki