Majority of drugs Part D plans subject to coinsurance; Children of immigrants no longer have to wait five years for coverage in Utah;

> A majority of prescription drugs covered by standalone Medicare Part D plans are now subject to coinsurance, rather than copayments, according to an analysis from Alavere. Coinsurance often leads to patients paying more out of pocket compared to fixed dollar-amount copayments. Analysis

> Thanks to a new law passed in Utah, children of immigrants who enter the state and the U.S. legally will no longer have to wait five years before becoming eligible for health insurance, according to the Deseret NewsArticle

> A Pennsylvania transgender man has a filed a federal lawsuit that challenges the state Medicaid program's decision not to cover a hysterectomy, even though his doctor determined the procedure to be medically necessary. This is one of the first legal challenges of its kind in the United States, the Philly Voice reports. Article

Healthcare News

> Two New Jersey healthcare facilities and a team of researchers at the University of Michigan announced new initiatives this week aimed at fighting the drug-resistant "superbug" Clostridium difficile. Article

Health IT News

> Participants in a telemedicine-based specialty mentorship program reported finding its value increased over time, and participants who took part in the program for a year or more were more likely to strongly agree that it improved patients' access to specialty care, improved quality of care and improved care coordination between PCPs and specialists. Article

And finally… Baby, it's cold outside. Article