An AHIP report found that the percentage of traditional Medicare beneficiaries who selected Medicare supplement plans increased to 41.4% in 2022, marking the fifth straight year of growth, and 57% of Medicare enrollees with no other coverage selected supplement policies in 2021. The majority of seniors with Medicare supplement plans were satisfied with their coverage, including 80% who said they were extremely or very satisfied, while 83% gave an excellent or good rating to their supplement coverage.

A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute found that eight states exceeded their overall projected Medicaid disenrollment within the first eight months after restarting eligibility redeterminations, while 12 states surpassed overall projected disenrollment for children. The CMS previously estimated that 15 million Americans would lose Medicaid coverage once states resumed the redetermination process, but the latest KFF data showed that at least 21 million people were dropped from the program as of May 1.

Seventy-five percent of 2,266 adults responding to a Gallup and West Health survey said the US health system identifies and treats mental health issues as "much worse" or "somewhat worse" than physical health issues. Respondents said the top barriers to accessing mental health treatment were health care affordability and trouble finding providers.

An analysis by FAIR Health of a database of about 46 billion commercial insurance claims found the share of patients with mental health diagnoses rose 40% across all age groups from 2019 to 2023, and the largest increase was among adults aged 65 and over at 57%. The data show about 14% of older adults had a mental health diagnosis in 2023, up from 9% in 2019.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that hormone replacement therapy is safe in women under age 60 who are experiencing menopause symptoms. These findings counter long-held protocols based on initial results from the Women's Health Initiative study, which suggested an estrogen and progestin combination increased breast cancer and stroke risks, although it has since become clear the design of the study may have skewed the results. Women's age and type of hormone are important considerations when prescribing HRT, with OB/GYN Dr. Lauren Streicher saying that "women should know that hormone therapy is safe and beneficial."

Combining a time-restricted eating regimen and high-intensity functional training in inactive women with obesity was associated with more profound cardiometabolic health and body composition changes compared with doing either intervention alone. The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, said this week in a House subcommittee meeting that an estimated one-third of Americans may have had their data compromised in the Change Healthcare ransomware incident. The company has said the data breach included protected health information and personally identifiable information, and it may be months before affected individuals can be fully informed.

AI can give health care organizations the opportunity to provide an intuitive telehealth experience for patients and empower them to be more involved in their care by analyzing data and offering personalized recommendations, says Amanda Bury, chief commercial officer at Infermedica. Responsible AI is a major focus at many organizations, and it requires evaluating AI vendors' past performance in implementing AI tools, prioritizing clinical validation and considering risk, Bury notes.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., wrote in a letter to GSK CEO Emma Walmsley that the company is circumventing its promise to cap the price of its brand-name inhalers, as GSK has started offering a generic version of its Flovent inhaler through Prasco Laboratories. GSK "appears to be exploiting a licensing agreement with Prasco Laboratories in order to circumvent your public commitments and price-gouge families without access to affordable alternatives to Flovent," Hassan wrote.

A bipartisan group of US senators aided by actress Halle Berry are advocating for the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women's Health Act, which provides $275 million to boost physician training, research and public awareness around menopause. Thirty-one percent of OB-GYNs said they had received training on menopause in a 2022 survey, with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., saying this phase of a woman's life "is overlooked, it's underinvested in, and it's been left behind. And it is about time that our country and everyone really started taking this seriously."

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