Judge strikes down CMS ‘medical frailty’ policy for Medicaid work requirements

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  Tracker

  Tracking healthcare data breaches

  The data of more than 8 million people was potentially exposed after a cybercriminal used social engineering to gain access to iRhythm’s third-party business applications.

  Updated Oct. 29, 2026

  Hospitals

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  Sponsored by ModMed

  Beyond the screen: How AI can give physicians their attention back

  Patients notice when a doctor already knows their story. Smarter charts make that moment possible.

  Health IT

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  Insurers, employers urge CMS to pause No Surprises arbiter recertifications

  The Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing and the ERISA Industry Committee are asking the CMS to stop approving arbiters until it implements more rigorous standards.

  Payer

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  HCA’s bottom line suffers as ACA coverage losses mount

  The hospital operator has lost about $950 million in pretax earnings this year as more patients leaving the exchanges jacks up uncompensated care costs and delays elective surgeries.

  Hospitals

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  Zocdoc invites AI agents to book appointments on behalf of patients

  It’s a “contrarian move” for the company as much of the industry remains wary of agentic AI, according to CEO Dr. Oliver Kharraz.

  Health IT

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  Centene progresses on profit recovery, drops 6,000 employees

  After a buoyant third quarter, Centene now thinks its Medicare business will break even one year ahead of schedule. Staffing cuts saddled the insurer with severance spending, but should help margins in 2027.

  Payer

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  Bon Secours affiliate makes $5.7B bid for Surgery Partners

  HealthSpan, the investment arm of Bon Secours, wants to take Surgery Partners private and absorb its 30-state outpatient footprint.

  Hospitals

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  ONC cuts health IT certification criteria in HTI-5 final rule

  The regulation cuts 14 criteria and revises seven to make ONC's health IT certification easier to achieve, but delays decisions on information blocking.

  Health IT

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  Q&A

  Prior authorization in the real world: Takeaways from Epic ahead of looming API deadline

  As a Jan. 1 deadline looms for payers to adopt new prior authorization tech, Epic’s Vice President of Value-Based Care Ryan Bohochik breaks down the industry’s progress so far.

  Payer

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  CMS proposes heightened standards for ACA financial assistance

  Enrollees must jump through more hoops to verify their income and residency status before receiving subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans. Over 300,000 enrollees are expected to leave each year as a result.

  Payer

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  Centene sues the CMS over 2027 Medicare Advantage star ratings

  The St. Louis-based insurer is adding onto a growing pile of lawsuits from insurers trying to get their quality scores recalculated — and nab hundreds of millions of dollars in extra payments as a result.

  Payer

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  Uninsured rate rises to 11% ahead of Medicaid work requirements

  Cuts to federal programs and the loss of enhanced subsidies on the exchanges could deepen an existing healthcare affordability crisis, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.

  Payer

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  5 major companies pledge faster, electronic prior authorizations

  Amazon, Google, Meta and other employers agreed to reform their prior authorization policies for their self-funded health plans, which provide coverage for millions of Americans.

  Payer

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  Molina joins Medicaid recovery bandwagon despite mixed Q3

  It’s the latest insurer to report momentum in the safety-net insurance program as states increase their payment rates and costs plateau. “The imbalance between rates and trend appears to have stabilized,” Molina’s CEO said.

  Payer

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  Quest Diagnostics hit by cyberattack

  The testing company believes an unauthorized third party accessed patient records.

  Health IT

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  Top healthcare conferences to attend in 2027

  These are the best industry events for digital health, provider and payer leaders to attend next year.

  Hospitals

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  Risant Health to acquire Oklahoma system Integris Health

  The acquisition is set to give Integris access to extra capital and technology at a time when many health systems are being hit by rising expenses.

  Hospitals

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  Developers, not doctors, should be held accountable for generative AI medical devices, providers say

  Provider groups are lobbying the Food and Drug Administration to make tech companies responsible for the safety and performance of generative AI-backed medical devices, arguing the tools’ makers are best equipped to evaluate them.

  Health IT

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  Elevance sees Medicaid momentum in Q3

  States jacked up their Medicaid rates in July, a positive development for the insurer. Elevance now thinks its Medicaid margin will be better than its prior expectation of -1.75% this year.

  Payer

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  Ghost networks haunt mental health access, study finds

  A secret shopper study found less than a quarter of calls to mental health clinicians resulted in appointments, with directory errors and unreachable providers driving so-called "ghost" networks.

  Payer

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  Hackensack Meridian, Hunterdon pen merger agreement

  As part of the deal, which still needs to be approved by regulators, Hackensack will invest about $230 million to improve Hunterdon’s facilities and roll out Epic’s electronic health record.

  Hospitals

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  Centene, Oscar, UnitedHealthcare sidle into some new counties in 2027 ACA plans

  The major insurers are entering new Affordable Care Act markets as others are leaving the exchanges en masse, though in the cases of Centene and UnitedHealthcare, county additions paper over larger state exits.

  Payer

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  OpenEvidence, Doximity settle thorny AI legal battle

  The health AI companies are putting to bed a legal dispute involving dueling lawsuits, claims of corporate espionage and allegations of harassment.

  Health IT

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  5 doctors weigh in on the promise, limitations of a closely watched multicancer blood test

  As a screening test from Grail moves closer to Food and Drug Administration approval, cancer experts share what encourages and concerns them most about Galleri.

  Government

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  CMS proposes rule to clean up MA provider directories, shine light on PBMs

  The proposed changes would implement key healthcare provisions in a government funding package from February. The brunt of the reforms would go into effect in 2028.

  Payer

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  Drugmakers seek to intervene in lawsuit challenging 340B pilot

  Drugmakers want a say in court to defend a rebate pilot in the 340B drug discount program that hospitals are trying to stop.

  Hospitals

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