Dear John,

Are you thinking about applying for the 2024–2025 Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees cohort?

Join us for a virtual information session tomorrow, January 31, at 11:00 am Eastern.

You'll learn more about the fellowship and application process from the program director and former fellows.

Applications for the 2024-2025 HEFT cohort are due on February 15.

Variation in Prior Authorization Across States And Plans

Prior authorization policies allow insurers to control enrollee access to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments.

In the January issue of Health Affairs, Christina Andrews of the University of South Carolina and her team of coauthors examine how prior authorization for buprenorphine, one of the most effective drugs for treating OUD, is related to Medicaid plan structure and state political environment.

They find that in 2018 there was significant variation in the use of prior authorization for buprenorphine among Medicaid managed care plans.

In thirteen states, no Medicaid managed care plans required prior authorization for buprenorphine, but in eleven states, every Medicaid managed care plan required prior authorization.

The authors also conclude that “Medicaid managed care plans are far more likely to impose prior authorization on buprenorphine when they are for-profit and operating in states that are majority Republican.”

Ashley Fox on Major Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake

Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Ashley M. Fox of the University at Albany, SUNY, on her recent paper exploring substantial disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake and identifying unmet immunization demand in low- and middle-income countries.

How Integrated Programs Can Address The Challenges Of Limited English Proficiency For Dual Eligible Individuals

Laura Benzing et al.

Due to the ongoing support from Arnold Ventures, we are able to reissue our call for submissions for our Forefront series "Accountable Care For Population Health."

We will accept submissions through December 2024.

Let's take a look back at the series, which has featured policy analysis, proposals, and commentary that will inform policies on the state and federal levels to understand and advance models for accountable care.

• Medicare Accountable Care Organizations In 2022: Renewed Growth And Improved Savings Show Small Rebound From The COVID-19 Pandemic (October 2023)
• North Carolina’s Bipartisan Path To Medicaid Expansion: The Role Of Accountable Care (July 2023)
• Using Advanced Payments In Population-Based Models To Address Equity (May 2023)
• Explaining Corporate America’s Aggressive Investment In Primary Care (April 2023)