Tracking state abortion bans in the US

Arizona's highest court ruled to uphold an 1860s-era near-total abortion ban. However, the law is on hold as a challenge works its way through a lower court.

Updated April 10, 2024

Michigan divvies out Medicaid contracts, with Centene, Molina seeing minor losses

However, the insurers could protest Michigan’s decision, potentially mitigating membership erosion.

North Carolina county seeks damages in HCA Mission lawsuit

Buncombe County is seeking to join a lawsuit from the state alleging HCA intentionally understaffed Mission’s emergency department, increased wait times and wasted taxpayer dollars.

CMS caps broker payments in Medicare Advantage

The final rule issued last week prevents insurers from paying brokers additional fees for steering beneficiaries to their plans.

Trial shows Wegovy can ease heart failure symptoms

Earlier testing resulted in expanded approval as well as broader Medicare coverage. Now, Novo Nordisk has proved Wegovy can benefit heart failure patients, too.

Digital health sees more deals with smaller checks in Q1: report

Artificial intelligence scooped up 40% of the quarter’s investment total, according to Rock Health.

Physicians ask FDA to revoke approval of DNA test for opioid addiction

Providers said the test is based “on old genetic studies that have largely been abandoned” and could exacerbate the opioid crisis.

Change asks to consolidate dozens of cyberattack class-action lawsuits

Twenty-four cases have racked up so far against the UnitedHealth subsidiary following a cyberattack against the technology firm in late February.

Teladoc’s long-time CEO steps down amid waning stock performance

A management shakeup is likely coming at the right time, as the virtual care company undergoes an operational review to boost its bottom line, analysts said.

Amwell in danger of being booted from NYSE

The once high-flying telehealth stock has traded below the exchange’s minimum listing requirements for 30 days, according to a new notice.

Marshfield Clinic to lay off furloughed workers

The Wisconsin-based health system furloughed about 3% of its employees earlier this year, and most are impacted by these job cuts.

Senate ramps up scrutiny of private equity ‘greed’ in healthcare

As private equity firms buy up hospitals and staffing agencies, lawmakers say they're increasingly concerned that patient care could suffer. 

Walmart decelerates health center expansion plans

The retailer previously planned to have more than 75 health centers operational this year. Now, Walmart plans to reach that goal in 2025.

Updated April 4, 2024

School-based Medicaid billing concerns delay proposed rule

Concerns over negative impacts to students’ out-of-school public insurance benefits appear to be delaying the release of a federal education rule.

Telehealth groups urge DEA to release controlled substance prescribing proposal

Advocacy groups, providers and virtual care companies said clinicians and pharmacies need time to comment on the rule and prepare for implementation.

Change cyberattack serves as wake-up call for healthcare cybersecurity

The outage shows why health systems need to plan for inevitable cyberattacks, evaluating risks and putting operational backups in place, experts say.

CMS finalizes ACA network adequacy rule

Starting in 2026, plans sold in state-based exchanges will be required to meet time and distance standards for provider access that are already applied to plans sold federally.

Kaiser closes Geisinger acquisition, launching Risant Health

The deal closed roughly a year after it was first announced. Geisinger is the first health system to join Risant, but it’s far from the last — the hospital operator wants to acquire at least four additional nonprofits.

Blue Shield of California and Providence at stalemate over contract negotiations

It's the latest negotiation to spill out of the boardroom and into the public eye as tensions between providers and payers ramp up.

Intermountain-owned Saltzer shutters operations, sells clinics

The financially strapped physician group finalized a midnight deal to sell some services to Trinity Health-owned Saint Alphonsus Health System and Intermountain Medical Imaging of Idaho.

Surescripts exploring a sale: report

A private equity buyer could make sense for the health IT vendor, as a strategic sale to a payer could raise antitrust concerns, one expert said.

Biden administration finalizes modest cut to 2025 Medicare Advantage rates

Despite heavy lobbying, insurers failed to see MA rates improve in the final rule, which codified a 0.16% decrease to benchmark funding.

UHS could face hit from $535M judgment against subsidiary

Damages could shrink on appeal and Universal Health Services has malpractice insurance to cover some costs, but the for-profit’s exposure from the case could still amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.

One year, 19M disenrollments: A look at Medicaid redeterminations so far

Threats of fines, procedural errors and more: Here are the major headlines from the past year of states unwinding Medicaid.

UCLA Health acquires California hospital from HCA

The purchase of the 260-bed facility will help address inpatient capacity needs, UCLA said.