Julie Appleby

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@Julie_appleby

Doling Out Pain Pills Post-Surgery: An Ingrown Toenail Not The Same As A Bypass

As the opioid epidemic rages, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and researcher is leading an effort to curb overprescribing by offering procedure-specific guidelines to ensure that post-surgical patients leave the hospital with enough, but not too much, pain medication.

Administration Eases Way For Small Businesses To Buy Insurance In Bulk

The Trump administration issued the final rule on association health plans, which supporters say will make coverage more affordable for some employees but led others to warn about “junk insurance.” Officials in California, aware of the state’s bad experience with such plans, are eager to avert their return.

How The Farm Bill Could Erode Part Of The ACA

A provision of this massive legislation would provide funding to help agricultural groups set up association health plans — a longtime GOP-favored mechanism to reduce health insurance costs for small groups.

Despite Changes That Undercut ACA Enrollment, Marketplaces ‘Remarkably Stable’

A report issued by the National Academy for State Health Policy shows a small decrease in sign-ups last fall. California saw a 2.3 percent drop, and in general states running their own marketplaces did better than those that didn’t.