Todd Shyrock

/Gallup poll found that nearly four in 10 Americans in the last six months have delayed or skipped health care treatments, trim regular household expenses, or borrow money, because of rising health care costs. Extrapolated across the entire population, that means 98 million adults are having to figure out how to afford health care.

While half of adults in households earning less than $48,000 per year report cutting spending, the effects also extend to more influential households. For those earning at least $180,000, 19% said they have pared back spending to pay for health care.

 under 50 are disproportionately being compelled to cut back on health care with 36% reporting they have done so, compared to 22% of men. having done so, compared with 22% of men.

Overall, 26% of adults report delaying or avoiding medical care or purchasing prescription drugs in the prior six months due to higher health care prices. This rises to 43% among adults in lower-income households (those making less than $24,000 annually).

For those cutting costs, health care is usually on the chopping block with other expensed. The report found:

Of those who cut back on utilities, 59% also cut back on medical care and medicine.

Of those who skipped a meal, 71% also cut back on medical care and medicine.

Of those who borrowed money, 60% also cut back on medical care and medicine.

Of those who drove less, 55% also cut back on medical care and medicine.

The effect of inflation exacerbates an already significant issue for millions of Americans struggling to pay for health care and medicine. Prior findings from the 2021 West Health-Gallup Healthcare Study showed that an estimated 18% of adults, or about 46 million people, 

could not afford needed care if they required it today

unable to pay for prescribed drugs in the prior three months

Health care inflation, which stood at 4.5% in June, is lagging overall 

, which spiked to 9.1% in June, a new 40-year high primarily because of rising prices for gas, food and rent. According to the report, inflation has not yet fully hit health care prices due to prenegotiated contracts with insurers and providers for 2022, but inflation is likely to impact prices later in the year -- something that consumers may not fully appreciate given the mere 3% that cite health care as the service expected to rise in price the most in the next six months.

This article was published by our sister publication Medical Economics.

Articles

Patients are either skipping care completely, cutting costs elsewhere, or borrowing money to pay for health care.

Nearly 4 in 10 Americans say inflation affecting their health care

Cybercriminals are taking advantage of all the connected medical devices within hospitals, and security for them is lacking, according to a report from 

Security experts have been warning health care companies for years that these devices are vulnerable to 

 because their security features are often outdated or inadequate, if they have security at all.

More than half of the respondents said senior management did not require assurances that medical or internet-connected device risks were properly monitored or managed.

In the report, 56% of respondents said internet-enabled device attacks resulted in longer patient length-of-stays, while 48% of respondents said they resulted in theft of patient data. In contrast, only 3.4% of hospital IT budgets are spent on device security.

Part of the problem is with the explosion in the number of these devices, they are often overlooked. The report found that 67% of organizations don’t even keep an inventory of them, and there is no clear ownership in many organizations about who is responsible for protecting them.

The report showed that 49% don’t measure the effectiveness of device security procedures, compared to 46% who take proper security steps. Of those organizations who reported a breach in the past two years, 88% said at least one connected device was a contributing factor to the 

Unfortunately, the only thing that may change these lackadaisical approaches for some hospitals is for a serious event to occur where hackers breach the hospital through a device that results in a loss of revenue or damage to relationships with clinicians or business partners, according to the report.

Security experts have been warning health care companies for years that all the connected medical devices are potential vulnerabilities

Cybercriminals using medical devices to hack hospitals

In reaction to doctors and other medical professionals spreading misinformation and lies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 

 has adopted a policy aimed at both countering misinformation while also holding those responsible accountable to their professional boards.

False claims made by health professionals can be directly linked to topics such as the promotion of unproven 

treatments, inaccurate claims of vaccine side effects, and public health guidance that is not evidence-based. The root of the problem is associated with a dozen individuals who accounted for almost two-thirds of 

Because these individuals can profit from the disinformation, the AMA said there is a need to address both the person’s ability to find an audience to deceive and their ability to benefit financially from that audience.

“Physicians are a trusted source of information for patients and the public alike, but the spread of disinformation by a few has implications for the entire profession and causes harm,” said AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, M.D., in a statement. “Physicians have an ethical and professional responsibility to share truthful information, correct misleading and inaccurate information, and direct people to reliable sources of health information. The AMA is committed to confronting disinformation, and we need to address the root of the problem. We must ensure that health professionals spreading disinformation aren’t able to use far-reaching platforms, often benefitting them financially, to disseminate dangerous health claims. While we are unlikely to undo the harms caused by disinformation campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can act now to help prevent the spread of disinformation in the future.”

The new policy calls for the AMA to work with health professional societies and other relevant organizations to implement a comprehensive strategy that includes the following priorities:

Maintain AMA as a trusted source of evidence-based information for physicians and patients,

Ensure evidence-based medical and public health information is accessible by engaging with publishers, research institutions and media organizations to develop best practices around paywalls and preprints to improve access to evidence-based information and analysis,

Address disinformation disseminated by health professionals via social media platforms and address the monetization of spreading disinformation on social media platforms,

Educate health professionals and the public on how to recognize disinformation as well as how it spreads,

Consider the role of health professional societies in serving as appropriate fact-checking entities for health-related information disseminated by various media platforms,

Encourage continuing education to be available for health professionals who serve as fact-checker to help prevent the dissemination of health-related disinformation,

Ensure licensing boards have the authority to take disciplinary action against health professionals for spreading health-related disinformation and affirms that all speech in which a health professional is utilizing their credentials is professional conduct and can be scrutinized by their licensing entity,

Ensure specialty boards have the authority to take action against board certification for health professionals spreading health-related disinformation, and

Encourage state and local medical societies to engage in dispelling disinformation in their jurisdictions.

The report notes that social media platforms have amplified the ability for misinformation to spread. It concludes that combating disinformation spread by health professionals, particularly over 

, will require a three-pronged approach: deprioritizing disinformation in social media algorithms, affirming and empowering the role of reactive fact-checking, and addressing any underlying incentive structure for health professionals spreading health-related disinformation.

Originally published on our sister brand, 

AMA has adopted a multi-prong strategy to try to counter lies while holding the person responsible to professional review.

AMA looks to fight back against health professionals spreading misinformation

 has declared climate change a public health crisis that threatens the health and well-being of all people. The new policy mobilizes the AMA to advocate for policies that limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions aimed at carbon neutrality by 2050, and support rapid implementation and incentivization of clean energy solutions and significant investments in climate resilience through a climate justice lens.

The organization will also develop a strategic plan for enacting its climate change policies, including on how to decarbonize physician practices and the health care industry. The new policy also recognizes the health, safety, and climate risks of current methods of producing fossil fuel-derived hydrogen and the dangers of adding hydrogen to natural gas.

“The scientific evidence is clear – our patients are already facing adverse 

 associated with climate change, from heat-related injuries, vector-borne diseases and air pollution from wildfires, to worsening seasonal allergies and storm-related illness and injuries,” said AMA Board Member Ilse R. Levin, D.O., MPH, in a statement. “Like the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis will disproportionately impact the health of historically 

 communities. Taking action now won’t reverse all of the harm done, but it will help prevent further damage to our planet and our patients’ health and well-being.”

The policy is intended to build upon AMA’s existing policy and efforts to promote environmental sustainability and efforts to halt the global climate crisis, including policy to help physicians in adopting environmentally-sustainable programs in their practices and sharing these concepts with their patients and communities. As part of AMA’s ongoing commitment to address climate change, the AMA is a member of the 

National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector

—a public-private partnership among the health sector aimed at mitigating climate change and protecting human health, well-being, and equity by addressing the sector’s environmental impact.

Climate changes are threatening the health and well-being of all people, according to the American Medical Association.



AMA: Climate change is a public health crisis

The American Medical Association says that despite insurance industry promises to reform and improve 

This comes despite evidence that insurer-imposed authorizations can be hazardous and burdensome to patient-centered care.

In January 2018, the AMA and other national organizations representing pharmacists, medical groups, hospitals and health insurers signed a 

 outlining a shared commitment to five key reforms for the prior authorization process. Taken together, the five reforms promote safe, timely, and affordable access to evidence-based care for patients; enhanced efficiency; and reduced administrative burdens.

But findings from the AMA physician survey conducted in December 2021 show that little progress has been made, and the AMA questions whether the health insurance industry can be relied upon to voluntarily expedite comprehensive reform to the cumbersome 

 that delays and disrupts patient-centric care.

“Waiting on a health plan to authorize necessary medical treatment is too often a hazard to patient health,” said AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, MD, in a statement. “Authorization controls that do not prioritize patient access to timely, optimal care can lead to serious adverse consequences for waiting patients, such as a hospitalization, disability, or death. Comprehensive reform is needed now to stem the heavy toll that continues to mount without effective action.”

The AMA survey examined the experiences of more than 1,000 practicing physicians with each of the five prior authorization reforms in the consensus statement and illustrates that the goal of comprehensive reform is far from complete.




Prior authorization requirements should be selectively applied to physicians based on demonstrated adherence to evidence-based guidelines and quality measures, according to the consensus statement. Survey results show fewer than one out of ten physicians (9%) contracted with health plans that offer programs that selectively apply prior authorization requirements.


The list of drugs and services that require prior authorization should be regularly reviewed by insurers to remove items that show "low variation in utilization or low prior authorization denial rates," according to the consensus statement. Most physicians (84%) reported the number of drugs requiring prior authorization has increased. An equal majority of physicians (84%) reported the number of medical services needing prior authorization has grown.


Insurers should "encourage transparency and easy accessibility of prior authorization requirements, criteria, rationale, and program changes," the consensus statement reads. Almost two-thirds of physicians (65%) reported it is difficult to determine whether a drug requires prior authorization. Slightly fewer physicians (62%) reported it is difficult to determine whether a medical service requires prior authorization.


Insurers should “minimize disruptions in needed treatment,” including “minimizing repetitive prior authorization requirements,” as stated in the consensus statement. An overwhelming majority of physicians (88%) reported that prior authorization interferes with continuity of care.


Efforts should be made to speed the adoption of existing national standards for electronic transactions for prior authorizations, according to the consensus statement. Only about one out of four (26%) physicians reported that their electronic health record system offers electronic prior authorization for prescription medications.

As a result of these failings, the AMA and other physician organizations are calling on Congress to fix the problem through the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (

), which would codify much of the consensus statement.

Survey shows little progress after four years of promises.

AMA says health insurance industry failing on prior auth reform

 had a deadline of May 16 to notify the public that the Public Health Emergency would end in 60 days. Because the deadline has come and gone with no word, it is expected that the PHE will be extended past the current July 16 end date, but how far is unknown.

The American Medical Association in conjunction with the American Nurses Association and the American Hospital Association wrote Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra 

Becerra told health care leaders after the first extension that he would give them a 60-day warning if it will not be renewed.

, allowing Medicare reimbursement and elimination of various site and security requirements, giving doctors and patients the ability to use whatever technology they had access to. While the Biden administration has pushed to make some of these changes permanent, congressional action is required.

While much of the country has moved on as if the pandemic was over, the CDC shows a rising number of cases in recent weeks, with a rise in hospitalizations, as well. These rising numbers concern the professional medical groups, who point out that new variants may emerge that strain hospital and health systems.

The end of the PHE will have far-reaching effects across the health system. For example, all states will need to reassess Medicaid eligibility resulting in a projected 13 million to 16 million people losing their coverage. Up to one-third of those may be eligible for a subsidized marketplace health plan, but getting them moved to the new program presents massive challenges to Medicaid officials because of the sheer volume of people. Planning is difficult, because there is uncertainty as to when the PHE will end. Officials will need to determine eligibility requirements and direct people to the appropriate program.

Fifteen million or more current Medicaid enrollees will potentially be ineligible for Medicaid at the end of the PHE, so states face a monumental task catching up on delayed renewals and redeterminations, according to a report from the 

. A lack of funding is expected to hamper this effort in many states, and those that have funding don’t want to hire staff until there is work to be done, but no one knows when that will start. Staff training is needed beforehand, but with no known start date for the end of PHE, timing is difficult for Medicaid officials.

Another challenge for state officials, according to the report, is to reduce the number of people who fall through the cracks and become uninsured. People will need targeted messaging to direct them to the right plan and program, and states aren’t always successful with their messaging. When confronted with an overwhelming volume of complicated plan choices, many consumers make no decision at all.

Another concern is that Marketplace plans have narrow provider networks that may be inadequate to meet the needs of the large influx of new enrollees. If a large share of people in a given service area gravitate to just one or two narrow-network plans in a short period of time, they may face delays or difficulties accessing timely appointments for needed services, according to the report.

The Department of Health and Human Services did not notify the public by the May 16 deadline that the Public Health Emergency will be ending.