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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Lupus Survival Is Improving Slowly

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mortality has declined during the past 46 years in the U.S.—but more slowly than mortality in the general population, according to a nationwide study. “Based on our experience in the clinic and according to previous reports showing improvement in the short-term (five- to 10-year) survival in lupus, I…

Obamacare Benchmark Premiums Up 37% in 2018 after Subsidy Cut-Off

Michael Erman  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—The average monthly premium for benchmark Obamacare insurance plans will surge around 37% in 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday, fueled by the Trump administration’s suspension of billions of dollars in subsidy payments to health insurers. The average monthly premium for the second-lowest cost “silver” plan for…

Varus Thrust Is Associated with Progressive Knee OA

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To determine if varus thrust, a bowing out of the knee during gait (i.e., the first appearance or worsening of varus alignment during stance), is associated with incident and progressive knee osteoarthritis (OA), these researchers undertook an Osteoarthritis Initiative ancillary study. They also considered hypothesized associations adjusted for static alignment, anticipating some attenuation. Methods: Gait…

Tocilizumab a “First Choice” for PHID Syndrome

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Tocilizumab should be the “first choice” for treatment of the autoinflammatory and cutaneous manifestations of pigmentary hypertrichosis and non-autoimmune insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (PHID) syndrome, say clinicians from the U.K. PHID syndrome is an extremely rare autosomal recessive genetic disease caused by mutations in the SLC29A3 gene. Children with the syndrome develop patches…

Judge Rejects Bid by 18 U.S. States to Revive Obamacare Subsidies

Dan Levine and Lawrence Hurley  |  

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters)—A U.S. judge on Wednesday refused to block President Donald Trump’s decision to end subsidy payments to health insurers under Obamacare, handing Trump a victory against Democratic attorneys general who have regularly challenged the president’s policies in court. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco said the federal government did not have…

Americans Want to See a Bipartisan Fix for Obamacare

Jilian Mincer and Chris Kahn  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—As Republican and Democratic lawmakers clash over the future of Obamacare, Americans largely are eager for a bipartisan solution to its shortcomings, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Thursday. The Oct. 14-23 poll found that 62 percent of Americans want former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law to be maintained, up from…

Billionaire Insys Founder Charged in U.S. Opioid Bribe Case

Nate Raymond  |  

BOSTON (Reuters)—The billionaire founder of Insys Therapeutics Inc was arrested on Thursday on U.S. charges he participated in a scheme to bribe doctors to prescribe a fentanyl-based cancer pain drug, marking a step by authorities to fight the opioid epidemic. John Kapoor, Insys’ majority shareholder who stepped down as chief executive in January, was charged…

Trump Declares Opioids a U.S. Public Health Emergency

Yasmeen Abutaleb and Jeff Mason  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency on Thursday, stopping short of a national emergency declaration he promised months ago that would have freed up more federal money. Responding to a growing problem wreaking havoc in rural areas, Trump’s declaration will redirect federal resources and loosen regulations to combat…