Latest / Morning Medical with Dr. Chow / Employer coverage for weight loss drugs, women's health, and the Restore Act with Dr. Chi-Ming Chow

Transcript

Employer coverage for weight loss drugs, women's health, and the Restore Act with Dr. Chi-Ming Chow · Morning Medical with Dr. Chow

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Good morning, and welcome to Morning Medical with Doctor Wai Chow.
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I am Doctor Chimming Chiao.
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And today, we have a series of important updates in the world of health care that you
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will not want to miss.
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From rising employer coverage for weight loss drugs to critical discussions on women's health
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care and cyber security threats targeting the medical field, we have a lot to covered.
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So let's dive right in.
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In today's first segment, We will be discussing the significant increase in employer coverage
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for weight loss drugs as reported by a survey from the International Foundation of Employee
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Benefit Plans.
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The survey released on June 13th, 2024, reveals that about 1 third of United States employer
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health plans are now offering coverage for GLP 1 drugs, which are used for both diabetes
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management and weight loss.
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This is a notable rise from last year.
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Where only about 26% of employers offered these drugs.
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GLP 1 drugs, such as Novo Nordisk Wiegavi and Eli Lilly's Zep bound have gained popularity
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due to their effectiveness in promoting weight loss.
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These drugs work by reducing appetite and causing the stomach to empty more slowly.
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Initially approved for diabetes treatment, they have been shown to reduce weight by around 20%,
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making them highly sought after.
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According to the survey, the portion of employers overall medical claims, spending on
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GLP 1 drugs for weight loss, has grown to 8.9% in 2024 from 6.9% in 2023.
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Furthermore, 57% of employers surveyed currently covered these drugs solely for
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diabetic care with 19% of those employers considering expanding coverage to include
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weight loss.
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The international foundation of employee benefit plans represents over 33,000 member
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companies or public institutions covering more than 25,000,000 employees in the United States
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and Canada.
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The survey highlights that the association of obesity with chronic and higher cost
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conditions, along with consultant recommendations, were the primary factors
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influencing employers to consider covering GLP 1 drugs.
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Analyst forecasts suggest that by the early 2030s, global sales for GLP 1 drugs could reach
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an annual 150,000,000,000 This is a significant increase from a previous forecast in 2023,
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which had predicted a 100,000,000,000 in sales by the early next decade.
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However, ensure a resistance to covering these drugs remains a limiting factor for sales
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growth, as noted in a December report by Morgan Stanley.
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Currently, out of the 110,000,000 Americans with obesity, 40,000,000 have access to GLP 1
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drugs for weight loss through their health care plans.
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This expanding coverage is a critical development in the fight against obesity, a
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condition associated with numerous health risks and complications.
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In our next segment, we turn our focus to women's health care, which has been a topic of
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significant concern in the United States.
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According to an article by Caitlin Walsh Shelton in the Washington Examiner, the
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standard for women's health care in the United States is supremely low.
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The country consistently ranks among the lowest of developed nations for a number of factors,
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including maternal mortality and overall women's health care.
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This week, the Senate is considering the so called right to Invitro Fertilization Act.
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However, this bill is not expected to meaningfully improve the quality of women's
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health care.
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Instead, an alternative bill known as the ReStore Act.
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Proposed by Senator's Cindy Hyde Smith and James Langford could have a more substantial
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impact.
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One major issue highlighted in the article is the over prescription of hormonal birth control
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for girls as young as twelve.
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These prescriptions are given for a range of issues from acne to severe menstrual cramps.
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Despite the widespread use, Little research has been conducted on the long term health effects
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of hormonal contraceptives for young girls and the existing research does not present a
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favorable outlook.
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Currently, more than 1 in 3 teenage girls and 65% of women under 50 report using some form
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contraception.
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Furthermore, 1 in 6 women experience infertility, which underscores a significant
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breakdown in women's health care across the board.
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This spans from research to treatment and affects women from anarchy to menopause.
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The Restore Act aims to address these issues by promoting restorative women's health care,
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which currently receives little to no funding, research, or support.
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Restorative health care methods not only increase the chances of natural conception and
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carrying to term.
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But are also significantly cheaper and less invasive than in vitro fertilization.
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The restore act includes provisions for Title X funding for restorative reproductive medicine
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and the expansion of research and literature reviews on reproductive health conditions and
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fertility awareness based methods.
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Notably, the restore act does not exclude further protections for in vitro fertilization,
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but offers a pathway for reducing infertility.
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And consequently, the need for in vitro fertilization in the future.
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This bill also comes at a time when a growing number of women are choosing not to take
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hormonal birth control for various reasons.
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Including concerns over long term effects, personal discomfort, and a desire for more
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natural treatment options.
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Responding to this trend, several new companies are investing in cycle tracking and natural
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methods of fertility control.
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Companies like natural cycles, which was the first phone application to receive FDA approval
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as a contraceptive method, Fem, Ava, and Mira are leading the way.
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These methods focus on the female body's natural hormonal rhythms.
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Using specific biomarkers to track the cycle and identify fertile windows.
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These fertility awareness based methods can predict with near perfect accuracy, a woman's
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fertile window, and identify inconsistencies in her cycle.
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This data can help diagnose underlying conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic
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ovarian syndrome, autoimmune disorders, and even certain types of cancer.
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According to reproductive health practitioner, Lisa Hendricks and Jack, The reproductive
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system should be monitored closely as it is a woman's 5th vital sign, crucial for her overall
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health.
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The current standard of care in the United States often involves prescribing birth control
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at a young age and referring women to in vitro fertilization later in life.
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This approach does not address the root causes of reproductive health issues.
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The Restore Act seeks to change this by enhancing education about the female cycle and
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supporting methods that track and diagnose underlying conditions.
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These methods are currently unsupported by federal programs and unrecognized by insurance
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agencies making them accessible only to those who can afford them.
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In summary, the Restore Act aims to provide better reproductive health care by focusing on
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natural and restorative methods.
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It seeks to improve research, funding, and support for these methods, offering women more
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options and potentially reducing the need for in vitro fertilization in the future.
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As the senate debates this bill, It is crucial for policy makers to recognize the importance
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of comprehensive and supportive women's health care.
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In our next segment, we turn our focus to a critical issue that has been making headlines
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cybersecurity threats targeting the health care industry.
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According to a recent report from the A chip meeting in Las Vegas, hackers are increasingly
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targeting health care organizations making them the 2nd top target for cyber attacks.
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Ari Schwartz, Managing Director of cybersecurity services at the law firm of
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Venable highlighted the vulnerabilities during a session on cybersecurity.
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1 of the most significant incidents this year involved change health care a UnitedHealth
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company that provides claims processing.
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On February 21 2024, Change Healthcare was hacked by a group representing itself as ALPHV
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black cat.
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This cyber attack caused massive disruptions to pharmacy and medical claim services including
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electronic prescribing, claim submission, and payment transmission.
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The federal cyber security and infrastructure security agency or Saisa issued an updated
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warning about ALPHV black cat shortly after the attack.
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In the aftermath, change health care paid hackers 22,000,000 1st month, following the
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ransom payment, there were 44 additional health care related cyber attacks, according to a
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report by wired.
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This underscores the increasing frequency and severity of cyber threats facing the health
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care sector.
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Clark Harshbarger, director of incident response at crowdstrike, emphasize the value of
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personal and health information, which makes health care organizations attractive targets.
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He noted that threat actors are not just shutting down systems, but are learning the
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intricacies of electronic medical record, EMR systems, and enterprise resource planning ERP
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systems.
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This detailed knowledge allows them to navigate within an organization's infrastructure and
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attack the highest value information points.
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As health care moves towards cloud and software as a service, SAS based operations, The
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familiarity of hackers with these infrastructures is also increasing.
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Health care is particularly vulnerable because it operates as an ecosystem of partner
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delivering care and sharing information.
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Application programming interfaces, APIs, which are used for data transfer, are often the
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weakest link in this ecosystem.
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Even if the system's holding data are well protected, APIs can be points of vulnerability.
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Harshbarger pointed out that API systems were initially designed to focus on availability,
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confidentiality, and data integrity.
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However, the rapid evolution of cyber threats means that these systems are now prime targets.
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Ari Schwartz added that while compliance has historically been the primary focus for health
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care organizations.
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It is no longer the biggest liability.
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Compliance remains important but health care organizations must also prioritize preparedness
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for cyber attacks and have plans in place to mitigate their impact.
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Steve Roberts, CEO of Eclipse Cybersecurity, emphasized the importance of elevating chief
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information security officers, CISOs to executive and board levels within
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organizations.
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This elevation allows CISOs to provide critical risk reward assessments and help companies
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recognize that it is not a matter of if, but when they will experience a data breach.
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Having a seat at the executive table is imperative for effective cybersecurity
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strategy.
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Panalysts at the AIP meeting agreed that stopping all cyber attacks is nearly
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impossible.
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Therefore, it is crucial for healthcare organizations to have mechanisms in place to
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prepare for potential attacks.
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This includes addressing anomalies promptly and having a clear plan for responding to breaches
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when they occur.
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Compliance should not be a distraction, but rather a component of a comprehensive risk
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management program that includes multiple layers of security.
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In summary, the health care sector is increasingly becoming a prime target for cyber
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attacks.
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Organizations must prioritize not only compliance, but also preparedness and response
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strategies to mitigate the impact of these inevitable breaches.
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Elevating CISOs to higher decision making levels and focusing on the vulnerabilities in
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data transfer mechanisms like APIs are critical steps in enhancing cybersecurity in health
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care.
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In our final segment today, we delve into a landmark decision by the United States Supreme
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Court regarding access to the abortion pill, Mifep Perstone.
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On Thursday morning, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled to uphold the Food And Drug
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Administration's approval of Mifepristone.
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A drug that has been at the center of legal battles for nearly 25 years.
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The case was brought forward by the alliance for Hippocratic medicine.
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An anti abortion physician group, which challenged the lawfulness of my favorite stones
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initial approval in 2000.
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The generic versions approval in 2019 and subsequent modifications in 2016 2021 that made
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the drug more accessible.
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The modifications included allowing non physicians such as nurse practitioners to
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prescribe my pepper stone and permitting its prescription without an in person visit during
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the COVID 19 pandemic.
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Justice Brett Kavanaugh delivered the ruling, stating that the plaintiffs did not have legal
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standing to challenge the food and drug administration's regulation of the drug.
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Kavanaugh wrote, here, the plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate that the food and drug
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administration's relaxed regulatory requirements likely would cause them to suffer
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an injury, in fact.
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For that reason, the federal courts are the wrong forum for addressing the plaintiff's
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concerns about the food and drug administration's actions.
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The American Medical Association, which represents over 271,000 physicians, praised the
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Supreme Court's decision.
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Doctor Bobby Mukamala, the association's president-elect, pointed out that restricting
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access to abortion care without justification leads to negative psychological, physical, and
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economic consequences.
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He emphasized that efforts to second guess the food and drug administration's scientific
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judgment were based on speculative allegations and ideological assertions undermining decades
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of rigorous scientific review proving the drug's safety and efficacy.
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Doctor Steve Furr, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, also lauded the
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ruling.
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He stated that maintaining access to Miffy Perstone preserves the patient physician
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relationship, allowing physicians to make critical decisions based on their medical
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education, training, experience, and available evidence.
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Doctor Fur warned that restricting access to certain treatments would set a dangerous
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precedent, undermining the rigorous drug evaluation process.
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Monica CPAK, CEO of WIS a provider of sexual and reproductive health care expressed relief
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at the Supreme Court's decision.
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She noted that the threat to abortion access and the potential ban of me, Fepristone had
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been extremely daunting, especially amid increased demand for medical abortion following
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the overturn of Roe V's Wade.
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Chase expressed that the court's decision to uphold broad access to the abortion pill is a
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significant relief for those in the reproductive health space.
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In conclusion, the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold the food and drug administration's
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approval of MI, Pepperstone, is a critical victory for reproductive health advocates.
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It not only preserves access to a vital medication, but also reinforces the importance
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of scientific integrity and the patient physician relationship in healthcare decision
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making.
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That wraps up today's episode of Morning Medical with Doctor Chow.
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Thank you for joining us as we navigated through these crucial health care updates.
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Remember to stay informed and stay healthy.
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I am Doctor Chiu Ming Chow, and I will see you next time.