Katy Backes Kozhimannil, PhD, MPA, of the University of Minnesota joins JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, to discuss health policy and improving health for rural populations. ja.ma/4gQ9aeL

Consolidation of #GroupPurchasingOrganizations may have policy implications for competition, contracting practices, drug shortages, and hospital purchasing power in the US supply chain. ja.ma/46Kl4SQ

Explicit policies on #CognitiveDecline in aging physicians are uncommon across G7 countries, and age-based assessments in medicine raise ethical, legal, and practical tensions not seen to the same degree in other safety-critical professions. ja.ma/3TbsAmG

Among rural and urban hospitals that provided obstetric services, lower birth volume, unprofitability, proximity to another obstetric hospital, and for-profit status were associated with loss of hospital-based #ObstetricCare ja.ma/4hghFAn

Among patients with #EndStageRenalDisease receiving dialysis, nephrologist participation in the voluntary Kidney Care Choices model was associated with higher home dialysis use vs participation in neither model. ja.ma/4yksRTb

📝 Editorial: The Rural Health Transformation Program creates an opportunity to study which policies, payment models, and workforce strategies improve #RuralHealth and population health. ja.ma/4xc9Bq3

📝 Viewpoint: The article indicates that legal and contractual barriers to cash pricing may limit transparent, consumer-facing options and keep #HealthCare prices higher for patients. ja.ma/4iOJ1zI

In Virginia, preventive care reimbursement in #Medicaid managed care exceeded Medicaid fee-for-service, but remained below rates paid by employer-sponsored insurance, Marketplace plans, and #MedicareAdvantage. ja.ma/4rhwU0x

In privately insured patients, rising #HealthInsurance premiums were largely associated with growth in health spending rather than growth in insurer markups. Efforts to slow premium growth may need to focus on reducing underlying health care spending. ja.ma/4yJiskr

In teenagers and young adults, #SocialMedia warnings about health harms were perceived as more effective than a screen time break warning for discouraging use and increasing awareness of harm. ja.ma/46HHjZA

Designing Social Media Health Warnings for Teenagers and Young Adults

This randomized clinical trial examines whether teenagers and young adults perceive that social media warnings discourage them from wanting to use social media and increase their awareness of the harms of social media.

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In adults with #ChronicPain and mental health need, private insurance was associated with larger #MentalHealth utilization gaps and more cost-related barriers than military or #VeteransAffairs coverage. ja.ma/3UZ6p3z

Mental Health Utilization Gap by Insurance Type Among US Adults With Chronic Pain

This cross-sectional study examines the association between insurance type and mental health service utilization among US adults with chronic pain.

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📝 Viewpoint: A single-trial default for #FDA drug approval may speed access, but it could also reduce evidentiary certainty and increase the risk of nonreplicable or ambiguous findings. ja.ma/46bcY5D

Opportunities and Risks of a Single-Trial Default for FDA Drug Approval

This Viewpoint describes potential concerns and opportunities with a single-trial default for US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug approval.

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Among commercially insured adults with #Obesity initiating semaglutide, higher out-of-pocket costs were associated with lower adherence, indicating that financial barriers may limit sustained use and reduce access to the benefits of treatment. ja.ma/4yis8Sw

#Medicaid work-reporting requirements may place working adults at risk of coverage loss even when they are employed, because near-threshold or inconsistent work hours can lead to noncompliance. ja.ma/4cwp3G8

Natural language processing of #Medicaid care coordination notes identified paperwork, scheduling, transportation, and #PriorAuthorization delays as major administrative burdens and offers a scalable way to monitor burden by type. ja.ma/4gPBA8P

📝 Viewpoint: Prescription-to-#OverTheCounter switching may improve convenience and some forms of access, but without reimbursement for pharmacist-led care and patient education, it may shift cost and risk to patients. ja.ma/4xbh20C

The 2016 Brexit referendum was associated with increased #NHS physician vacancies, indicating that higher non-EU recruitment did not fully offset workforce shortages. ja.ma/4qZyrb9

Among #MedicareAdvantage beneficiaries, new complex medical conditions were associated with higher disenrollment, especially to #TraditionalMedicare, and the increase grew with the number of conditions. ja.ma/4r5KwvG

Among #MedicareAdvantage beneficiaries, new complex medical conditions were associated with higher disenrollment, especially to #TraditionalMedicare, and the increase grew with the number of conditions. ja.ma/4igpOqr

Medicare Advantage Beneficiary Enrollment Decisions Following New Complex Conditions

This cohort study examines changes in Medicare Advantage plan disenrollment following the development of new complex medical conditions and assesses heterogeneity by number of conditions, state Medigap policy, and plan characteristics.

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⏰ Last call! Applications for the JAMA Health Forum Editorial Fellowship program are due Tuesday, September 1. 🔗 Find the requirements and application details here: ja.ma/4fR5jh8

JAMA Health Forum is offering three editorial fellowship positions in different areas of focus for doctoral scholars interested in working with a health policy and health services journal. 📅 Deadline: Sept 1, 2026 🔗 ja.ma/45B8k0m

JAMA Health Forum is offering three editorial fellowship positions in different areas of focus for doctoral scholars interested in working with a health policy and health services journal. 📅 Deadline: Sept 1, 2026 🔗 ja.ma/4fQamyD

💬 Viewpoint by Dhruv Khullar, MD, MPP, Sachin Jain, MD, MBA, and Amelia Bond, PhD: Voluntary multiyear enrollment in #MedicareAdvantage could reduce annual churn and better support preventive care, chronic disease management, and care continuity. ja.ma/4c449Oj

New complex medical conditions were associated with higher #MedicareAdvantage disenrollment, especially to traditional Medicare, and disenrollment increased with the number of new conditions. ja.ma/4gL5s7u

After the Brexit referendum, European Union #Physicians and #Nurses immigrating to the UK declined, while non–European Union recruitment increased and National Health Service physician vacancies rose. ja.ma/45GQd9n

JAMA Health Forum is seeking editorial fellows for a 1-year, hands-on fellowship program beginning January 1, 2027. Fellows will receive training in the editorial processes and policies of a major health policy and health services journal. 📅 Apply by Sept 1: ja.ma/4fina04

💬 Editorial by JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, and Nason Maani, PhD: Research on commercial determinants of health can help clarify how corporate practices and policy environments shape #HealthEquity and population health. ja.ma/4hwkMG1

Patients classified as likely undocumented had higher in-person outpatient visit completion overall, but month-specific declines in 2025 and increased #Telehealth use indicate shifts in access during intensified federal immigration enforcement. ja.ma/4zksxFo

As #DualEligibleSpecialNeedsPlans expanded, higher maximum out-of-pocket limits after the 2023 policy change may shift payment responsibility from state #Medicaid programs to #MedicareAdvantage organizations earlier in the spending trajectory. ja.ma/4bSxPxT

State #EvictionMoratoria were associated with fewer foster care entries related to inadequate housing, caregiver inability to cope, and physical abuse, but not with a significant difference in total foster care entries. ja.ma/4x0nZ5r