Department of Health Policy Archives
Insurance claims for gender-affirming therapies have increased, but filling prescriptions without insurance may be more affordable, new study finds
Jun. 28, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers found that both gender dysphoria diagnoses and use of gender therapies have increased substantially between 2013 and 2019.
Filling multiple opioid prescriptions after childbirth associated with maternal death risk
Jun. 9, 2022—In a new study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers, women who filled two or more prescriptions for opioids after childbirth faced a 46% greater risk of death than women who did not.
New study illustrates how much it would cost for cancer drugs covered under Medicare Part D
May. 10, 2022—A new study by Vanderbilt researchers highlights how some older Americans diagnosed with cancer can face unlimited out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs under the current structure of the Medicare Part D benefit.
Medicare beneficiaries without low-income subsidies were less likely to fill important prescriptions, new study finds
Apr. 4, 2022—Vanderbilt research shows that Medicare Part D beneficiaries who did not receive federal subsidies to lower their out-of-pocket costs were nearly twice as likely as others to not fill prescriptions for serious health conditions like cancer or hepatitis C treatment.
Study shows little variance in overdose deaths when sorting by Medicaid expansion status
Mar. 3, 2022—A study by researchers from Vanderbilt and Boston University found that the increase in drug or opioid overdose deaths experienced during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was similar in states with and without Medicaid expansion.
Capacity building activities and new curriculum strengthen medical education in Liberia
Feb. 24, 2022—Liberia's fragile health system is being strengthened through U.S.-Liberia partnerships focused on medical education and capacity building at the country's only medical school, A.M. Dogliotti (AMD) School of Medicine in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Liberia.
Study finds LGBQ people report higher rates of adverse childhood experiences than straight people, worse mental health as adults
Feb. 24, 2022—A new study led by researchers at Vanderbilt found that 83% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBQ) individuals reported going through adverse childhood experiences such as sexual and emotional abuse, and worse mental health as adults when compared to their heterosexual peers.
Health Policy lecture
Feb. 17, 2022—Seema Verma, MPH, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, was recently the guest of the Department of Health Policy for its Research into Policy and Practice Lecture Series.
Discussing CMS changes
Jan. 27, 2022—Former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Seema Verma, MPH, was recently the guest of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Department of Health Policy’s Research into Policy and Practice Lecture Series.
Education, school quality top concerns for parents: poll
Jan. 20, 2022—A new poll of Tennessee parents from the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy has found that education and school quality top the list of parental concerns in the state.
Study finds sexual minority communities disproportionately engage in behaviors to reduce medication costs
Jan. 6, 2022—Vanderbilt research finds that individuals from sexual minority populations, including members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer communities, are more likely than heterosexual individuals to engage in behaviors to reduce medication costs.
Opioid use disorder treatment access increases in areas with large Medicaid population
Jan. 4, 2022— by Jill Clendening Researchers report that in communities where Medicaid is a more common source of insurance, providers of buprenorphine, an effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), are much less likely to discriminate between Medicaid and privately insured prospective patients, but patients with either type of coverage still face many barriers to obtaining...
