The use of medication abortion — which involves two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol — has grown significantly since its approval and now accounts for 54% of all pregnancy terminations before nine weeks of gestation in the U.S. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, medication abortion usage is likely to increase as patients in states that ban the procedure are likely to attempt to obtain courses of medication abortion from states that allow it. Only 18 states and the District of Columbia allow both advanced practice clinicians and medical doctors to dispense abortion pills. Six states have passed laws banning any use of telehealth for medication abortion, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation analysis. Insurance coverage for both surgical and medical abortion is heavily regulated across the nation. A 2019 study from the Government Accountability Office found that 14 states’ Medicaid programs do not cover mifepristone even in the cases of rape, incest and life endangerment.

Here’s how major health insurers’ stock performed in April 2022. UnitedHealth Group had the highest closing stock price among major commercial insurers as of April 29, 2022, at $508.55. Molina Healthcare, Inc. had the highest closing stock price among major Medicaid insurers at $313.45.

Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth utilization increased 7,060% from 2019 to 2020, while utilization dropped 38% in ambulatory surgery centers, 30% in emergency rooms, 16% in urgent care centers and 4% in retail clinics, according to a new FAIR Health white paper. The FH Medical Price Index tracks the weighted average growth in median procedure charges and median allowed amounts. Among the six procedure categories it studied, hospital evaluation and management saw the largest percent increase in both the charge amount index and allowed amount index.

In order to improve patient outcomes and reduce variations in oncology care, more and more payers and providers are adopting oncology clinical pathways (OCPs) — treatment protocols that aim to provide the optimal cancer care to patients at the lowest cost, according to a recent MMIT webinar. The share of oncologists exposed to third-party oncology pathways increased from 20% in 2015 to 52% in 2021, with one third of oncologists choosing a provider-focused pathway as of the fourth quarter of 2021. Breast cancer, multiple myeloma and non-small cell lung cancer are among the top therapeutic areas managed by third-party pathways.

New biologic drugs cost Medicare Part D and its beneficiaries almost $12 billion in 2019, but increased biosimilar uptake could cut spending significantly in coming years, according to a March report from HHS’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Specifically, the OIG report pointed to upcoming launches of Humira (in 2023) and Enbrel (in 2029) biosimilars as potential catalysts for change. The two biologics alone accounted for nearly half of 2019’s Part D spending. Studying 2019 Part D plan formularies, OIG found that biosimilar uptake for four select drug classes was limited due to lack of coverage, and formularies that did cover biosimilars did not encourage their use over the original reference products despite their lower cost. OIG advised CMS to encourage payers to place biosimilars on formulary, which the agency agreed with. As of the second quarter of 2022, most Medicare beneficiaries still have better access to the biologics OIG studied over their biosimilars, with the exception of Teva Pharmaceuticals’ Granix, a biosimilar to Amgen’s Neupogen, and Pfizer’s Retacrit, a biosimilar to Amgen’s Epogen and Johnson & Johnson’s Procrit. Granix holds covered or better status for 51% of Medicare beneficiaries, according to data from MMIT Analytics (MMIT is the parent company of AIS Health). Retacrit, meanwhile, holds 66% covered or better status.

Here’s how major U.S. health insurers performed financially in the fourth quarter of 2021. Health Plan Weekly subscribers can access more health plan financial data — including year-over-year comparisons of leading health plans’ net income, premium revenue, medical loss ratios and net margins. Just email support@aishealth.com to request spreadsheets for current and past quarters.

In order to improve patient outcomes and reduce variations in oncology care, more and more payers and providers are adopting oncology clinical pathways (OCPs) — treatment protocols that aim to provide the optimal cancer care to patients at the lowest cost, according to a recent MMIT webinar. The share of oncologists exposed to third-party oncology pathways increased from 20% in 2015 to 52% in 2021, with one third of oncologists choosing a provider-focused pathway as of the fourth quarter of 2021. Breast cancer, multiple myeloma and non-small cell lung cancer are among the top therapeutic areas managed by third-party pathways.

The national average premium for the second-lowest-cost silver plan, or benchmark plan, sold through the Affordable Care Act exchanges is $438 per month in 2022, a 1.8% drop compared to 2021, according to an Urban Institute analysis. Average benchmark premiums, by state, ranged from $309 in New Hampshire to $766 in West Virginia. The premium variation was associated with the type and number of insurers participating in a region. The presence of a Medicaid insurer led to lower benchmark premiums. In 2021, the benchmark premium in a rating region with only one insurer was $189.5 higher per month than in regions with five or more insurers.

More than 30% of Medicare Advantage members are currently enrolled in a plan that offers at least one type of newer supplemental benefit, according to an April report from ATI Advisory and the Long-Term Quality Alliance. Researchers studied the growth of both Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI), established by the CHRONIC Care Act of 2018 and first made available to eligible beneficiaries in 2020, and Expanded Primarily Health-Related Benefits (EPHRB), which emerged in 2019 following CMS’s reinterpretation of the definition of “primarily health-related.” Both benefit types have grown significantly over the past two years, with nutritional benefits, transportation and in-home support services among the most popular offerings. Just one benefit type, adult day health services, saw a decline in uptake, which report authors attributed to lack of availability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. See an overview of the findings in the table below.

Here’s how major health insurers’ stock performed in March 2022. UnitedHealth Group had the highest closing stock price among major commercial insurers as of March 31, 2022, at $509.97. Molina Healthcare, Inc. had the highest closing stock price among major Medicaid insurers at $333.59.