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The federal push reflects the continuing concern over the nation's rate of unintended pregnancies, which is one of the highest among developed countries. The costs are significant not only for the families involved but also for the federal and state governments.

In its June report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission warned that rising drug costs and other factors have helped drive Medicare Part D spending up nearly 60 percent from 2007 to 2014.

Following up on last week's announcement on strengthening the marketplace risk pool, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Wednesday announced $22 million in funding for state insurance regulators to enforce Affordable Care Act consumer protections.

At its annual meeting this week, the American Medical Association adopted new policies encourage physicians to co-prescribe naloxone to patients at risk of an overdose; promote timely and appropriate access to non-opioid and non-pharmacologic treatments for pain; and support efforts to delink payments to healthcare facilities with patient satisfaction scores relating to the evaluation and management of pain.

Physicians at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association have adopted guidance for communities on selecting among light emitting diode options, which aims to minimize the potential harmful human health and environmental effects. The group claims that conversion to improper LED technology can have adverse consequences.

The American Medical Association voted at its annual meeting to expand its existing policy on gun safety to include support for waiting periods and background checks for all firearm purchasers. The previous policy supported them, but only for purchasers of handguns; the update parallels policies endorsed by other health organizations.

Payers are using advanced analytics to improve physician engagement and performance in accountable care arrangements and risk-sharing contracts.

Data shows that 24 million more people would become uninsured by 2021 if the Affordable Care Act is repealed following the 2016 election, according to a new report.

Policy changes tied to Medicaid could have a drastic effect on whether many hospitals have the financial viability to stay in business, the Kaiser Family Foundation said in a new brief published Thursday.

To help more people with prediabetes access the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Diabetes Prevention Program, the American Medical Association has adopted a policy during its annual meeting to encourage private and public health plans to include the DPP as a covered benefit for their beneficiaries.