U.S. Unemployment Rates Remain Steady in June, BLS Finds
New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows unemployment rates declined in eight states in June, increased in two states and remained essentially unchanged in…
US Mortgage Rates Rise for Third Straight Week
Mortgage rates in the US, already the highest in almost a year, rose for a third week, squeezing affordability as home price growth accelerates. The average for a 30-year, fixed…
Medicare Advantage Insurers Deny Prior Authorization Requests for Post Acute Care at Substantially Higher Rates Than the Overall Denial Rate
Prior authorization practices by health insurers have come under scrutiny in recent years, in part spurred by the public sentiment that delays and denials of care are a problem. According…
Environmental Factor – February 2025: ‘Hidden effects of floods’ linked to higher death rates
Flooding events are associated with increased death rates for cardiovascular diseases, infectious and parasitic diseases, injuries, and respiratory diseases, according to NIEHS-funded research. Both infectious disease and injury death rates…
Mitch McConnell Hospitalized; Outbreak Deaths Reach 181; iPhones and Birth Rates
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), age 84, was admitted to the hospital with an undisclosed condition. (The Hill) The CDC alerted about…
Private Medicare Denies Long-Term and Rehab Care at Exceedingly High Rates
An HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) report found that among 19 Medicare Advantage organizations, the three largest denied prior authorization requests for care in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and…
Why are Massachusetts opioid prescribing rates higher in rural versus urban areas?
Abstract Aims To examine the relationship between geographical density and opioid prescribing in a model that simultaneously accounts for both supply and demand side factors. Design Using the Massachusetts All-Payer…
