Health Beat: Health jobs grow, cancer deaths decline 23%

Editor’s note: Each Wednesday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Health Beat,” a round-up of health-related topics.

HEALTH SPENDING APPROACHES 18% OF GDP FOR FIRST TIME, NEW JOBS GROW: National health spending in November 2015 was up 5% compared to November 2014, continuing the slowdown from a peak of nearly 7% growth in February 2015, according to new data from Altarum’s Health Sector Trend Report. The health spending share of gross domestic product (GDP) was fractionally below 18% — a rate that on two occasions had already been breached before data revisions affected both variables.

Health care prices in November 2015 were 1.1% higher than in November 2014, slightly below the 1.2% rate measured in October. Year-over-year hospital prices rose by 1.4%, but those for privately insured increased at a 2.3% rate, a development that bears careful monitoring. The health sector added 39,400 jobs in December for a total annual gain of 475,000 new jobs, 50% more than in 2014.

CANCER STATISTICS REPORT: DEATH RATE DOWN 23% IN 21 YEARS – Annual statistics from the American Cancer Society show the death rate from cancer in the U.S. has declined steadily over the past two decades. The cancer death rate for men and women combined fell 23% from its peak in 1991 to 2012, the most recent year for which data is available, translating to more than 1.7 million deaths averted during this time period.

“Cancer Statistics, 2016,” published in the American Cancer Society’s journal “CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians,“ estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths expected in the U.S. this year. A total of 1,685,210 new cancer cases and 595,690 deaths from cancer are projected to occur in the U.S. in 2016. During the most recent four years (2009-2012), the rate of new cancer diagnoses decreased by 3.1% per year in men and stayed about the same in women.

CMS FINALIZES ACA RULES ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG REBATES: In order to effectively implement provisions of the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized rules detailing reforms to the rebate and reimbursement systems for Medicaid prescription drugs, which are estimated to save federal and state governments $2.7 billion over five years.

The Affordable Care Act substantially reformed Medicaid payments for prescription drugs, increasing rebates and setting limits on federal reimbursements. The “Covered Outpatient Drugs” final rule ensures reforms will be effectively implemented by providing further detail on how those reimbursements and rebates are calculated, part of CMS’ broader efforts to help ensure affordability and accessibility of prescription drugs, while supporting pharmaceutical innovation.

CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONAL EARNS STATE’S FIRST DESIGNATION: Rhonda Langrell Benton, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CLRP, director of Employee Relations at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), has received her certification in Healthcare Human Resources (CHHR) from the American Hospital Association (AHA)/American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA). She is the first Arkansan to obtain this professional designation, according to ACH. She holds a MBA and BBA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and has a continuous certification from HRCI as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) since 1998.