PAHO hosts Economic and Health Dialogue of the Americas to strengthen health systems and economic resilience in the region

Maria Senes

24 Oct 2024

That’s the thinking of advocates and state legislators across the country, who also see it as a way to pull in more revenue. But at virtually every turn — including in Nebraska, Colorado, Oregon and New Mexico — efforts to raise taxes on alcoholic beverages have been thwarted by the alcohol industry, a vast and powerful coalition of corporate conglomerates, mom-and-pop producers, retail stores, hospitality workers, trade associations and their lobbyists. The result is a population with mounting alcohol-related woes and an ever-cheaper, more accessible supply of drink. 

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t and that third-quarter profit was going to be far below analysts' estimates, pushed shares down 5% on Friday.Read also: CVS Health CEO steps down amid financial challengesThe company is under pressure from investors, including activist Glenview Capital, to bring up the price of shares, which are down 24% in a year of record highs for the broader market and are nearly half of CVS's 2022 highs.Andrew Mok, a senior analyst at Barclays, said a leadership change "was largely expected given recent missteps." But he noted that Joyner's background does not feature health insurance or public company CEO experience, and pointed to "a leadership gap at Aetna that will likely need to be addressed near term."Four other analysts and investors also questioned Joyner's ability to turn around Aetna, which has struggled to rein in medical services costs affecting its Medicare Advantage insurance for people aged 65 and older. Its problems echo that of rivals in the same business, but are more pronounced.Executive Chairman Roger Farah said in a joint interview with Joyner that the board had been unanimous in selecting its new CEO, describing the succession planning as "very thorough.""Lots of thought went into this, lots of conversation," he added.In the interview, Joyner said he has the experience needed for the job and that he has already begun working to address the challenges confronting Aetna while in his previous role as a top executive at the company.He plans to hire his own management team, including to run Aetna, which had been overseen by Lynch after the previous leader, Brian Kane, left two months ago.Joyner pointed to his business initiatives including creating a new type of drug coverage for health plan customers and a new strategy for offering near copies of pricey biologic drugs.CHALLENGES AHEADHealth insurance companies typically aim to pay out about 80% of the premiums they collect for customer medical services. CVS said on Friday that the percentage of premiums spent on medical services had risen to 95%.That's a concern for investors like James Harlow, senior vice president at Novare Capital Management, which holds CVS shares. "I'm just not connecting the dots in terms of how Joyner coming in as CEO is going to solve those issues," he said.The move to appoint Joyner was largely a response to investors wanting a CEO change, according to Michael Ha, an analyst at Baird.Not all analysts were skeptical of the move.Joyner is remembered for turning around Caremark's business in the early 2000s, said Lisa Gill, an analyst at J.P. Morgan."David's direct management style and candor will be hugely valuable," Gill said.CVS said on Friday it had completed a strategic review and would sell non-core assets as well as close 271 retail pharmacies. Reuters had previously reported that it was considering splitting up pharmacy and insurance.In the interview, Farah addressed the potential for a breakup."There were some questions about whether or not the pieces or parts stick together," he said, "and I think our ongoing conclusion has been that it does and we just need to execute better."Read also: CVS Health to remove AbbVie rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira from some drug reimbursement lists in April

In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, First Lady Arya Ali has partnered with the Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital to provide sponsorship of 1,000 mammograms for women across Guyana, her office said in a statement on Wednesday. The initiative aims to raise awareness about the importance of early detection in the fight against breast cancer, ...

“I remember a young Grenadian girl with long braids and a colourful beaded bracelet that spelled “Smile.” I was surprised when she told me she wanted to be a dentist”

View the full post Don’t give up, give back on NOW Grenada.

BREAST CANCER is one of the fastest-growing diseases among women. According to the World Health Organisation, one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every four minutes and the disease claims a life every 13 minutes. This makes timely disease...