Protections From Ambulance Surprise Balance Bills – Proposed

MEDICAL SECTION

PROTECTIONS FROM AMBULANCE SURPRISE BALANCE BILLS – PROPOSED

Late last year, 2023, the Advisory Committee on Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing (GAPB committee) — created as part of the No Surprises Act (NSA) — approved recommendations to federal policymakers for protecting consumers from surprise billing for ground ambulance services.

While the NSA protects consumers from many of the most prevalent forms of surprise balance billing by out-of-network providers and facilities in emergency room, air ambulance, and in-network hospital settings, it does not cover ground ambulances. Federal lawmakers decided not to include them in the NSA because of the varied types of ground ambulance services, existing local and state regulations, and a lack of cost data.

If these recommendations become law, consumers will no longer face surprise bills and there will be a method to determine how much payers owe the providers. Consumers’ cost-sharing amounts will be limited and providers of ground ambulance services will be banned from billing for any higher amounts. GAPB rejected the use of an independent dispute resolution (IDR) process (created under the NSA to remove consumers from payment disputes through a third-party, baseball-style arbitration to determine the payment) in favor of a tiered payment standard that relies on state and local rate setting. If no such rate setting exists, the payment standard is benchmarked to Medicare payment rates.

HEALTH SECTION

OZEMPIC - Hot New Drug for Weight Loss



Ozempic was found to be so effective at fighting kidney disease that a trial was stopped early. Ozempic has become the top-selling prescription drug in the US. More uses have been found for the drug while it’s still on patent.

A number of studies have begun to highlight the broad ranging benefits offered by Ozempic and similar drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. Apart from the ability to induce weight loss and thus reduce the risk of associated ailments, the medicine seems to offer benefits to the heart, liver, and kidneys. GLP-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide) appear to help combat substance abuse and fight the neuroinflammation and oxidative stress that contribute to Alzheimer’s.

Semaglutide is an antidiabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and an anti-obesity medication used for long-term weight management. Semaglutide decreases hunger, and there are so many people using them that major food retailers are seeing changes in patterns of consumption; and It looks like the number of people taking the drug is only going up. 

It’s not only food cravings that seem to be kept in check by semaglutide. People taking the drug are reporting that they’re no longer interested in alcohol, that they’ve stopped smoking, that their impulse to shop has gone away and they’re no longer biting their nails. Researchers have a trio of theories about why this may be happening.

• A change in the sense of smell and taste
• A change in the part of the brain linked to pleasure and reward
• An increased avoidance of certain chemicals such as those found in alcohol and cigarettes

To date, not much research has been done on the subject. And scientists theorize that the effect may dissipate and disappear when someone quits taking the drug.