Finances

UnitedHealth reiterates MA growth expectations for 2022 as profits eclipse $4B

"Big picture, really positive," CEO Andrew Witty said about the fruitful MA market, despite dismal projections from some of UnitedHealth's peers about slowing enrollment.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 19, 2022

Medical cost growth trailed that of other industries in 2021

Prices for goods and services skyrocketed at the fastest pace in four decades, rising 7% between December 2020 and December 2021, according to new data. By comparison, prices for healthcare services rose roughly 2.5%.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 13, 2022

UHS details omicron's hit, shares dip

The health system has enough beds and ventilators but sometimes not enough staff, echoing concerns from other providers across the nation crushed by the latest wave of coronavirus patients with the fast-spreading omicron variant.

By Samantha Liss • Jan. 12, 2022

Teladoc ups revenue, visit expectations for 2021

Despite consistent revenue growth with an expected topline of $2.03 billion for the year, the 20-year-old vendor has not yet turned a profit and is currently facing a skeptical market.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 11, 2022

Hospitals turned to M&A to shore up core operations last year

The financial pressures, supply chain disruptions and labor challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic drove hospitals to seek out merger partners that could help expand their presence in key markets.

By Susan Kelly • Jan. 11, 2022

Digital health funding reaches record $29.1B in 2021

"The digital health market wasn't an across-the-board bubble, but it wasn't placid water either," Rock Health researchers said in a new report on investment in the space.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 11, 2022

Hospitals' labor expenses rose again just before omicron arrival, report finds

Expenses outpaced revenue growth as hospitals continued grappling with nationwide staffing shortages in November, according to Kaufman Hall.

By Hailey Mensik • Jan. 5, 2022

Insurers returned $2B to consumers for 2020 under ACA

The rebates, tied to lower medical loss ratios, were triggered as utilization rates dropped at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 21, 2021

Federal COVID-19 aid fueled huge jump in national health spending last year

The pandemic accounted for major changes in who paid for healthcare as job losses spurred changes in coverage types, while people deferred care and spent less out of their own pockets.

By Shannon Muchmore • Dec. 16, 2021

HHS to funnel $9B in relief funds to providers

The federal government will reimburse smaller providers more favorably in this funding round, regulators said, acknowledging these facilities tend to operate on shakier financial footing compared to larger peers.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 15, 2021

Huge variance in state costs for complex hospitalizations from COVID-19, analysis finds

New Jersey has the highest in-network costs for complex hospitalizations from COVID-19 of any U.S. state, nonprofit Fair Health said. Maryland, which uses an all-payer model, had the lowest.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 15, 2021

Flurry of doctor group buyouts helps fuel 'extraordinary' surge in health M&A

Companies across the healthcare spectrum are pursuing deals to strengthen operations after two years of pandemic-driven challenges, a new PwC report found.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 14, 2021

Employers report highest annual increase in per-employee health costs in over a decade

The findings raise questions of whether employers are experiencing a temporary correction to the cost trend or if they're staring down the barrel of a new period of higher cost growth.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 13, 2021

New CVS primary care locations to include physicians for first time

CVS wants to broaden its care delivery strategy, including "physician-led primary care centers with integrated virtual and home assets," CVS EVP and president of pharmacy services Alan Lotvin said.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 10, 2021

Physician income dips when hospitals buy practices: Health Affairs

Average doctor pay slipped in hospital employment arrangements even as health systems typically benefit financially from acquiring physician practices.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 8, 2021

Bright Health nabs $750M capital infusion with help from new investor (and competitor) Cigna

Cigna is investing $550 million in an apparent rival, attracted by its clinical network and opportunities to drive value there as more insurers look to snap up doctor's groups.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 8, 2021

Hospital lobby argues its case against 340B payment cut before SCOTUS

Tuesday's arguments seemed to center around single words and phrases to determine whether HHS had the authority to change payment rules in 2018 for 340B hospitals, which serve a large share of low-income patients.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 1, 2021

Hospital lobbying fails to stop looming Medicare cuts in year-end proposal

Lawmakers on Thursday reached a bipartisan year-end spending bill that doesn't include provisions to push back or stop the upcoming Medicare cuts.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated Dec. 3, 2021

Hospitals brace for omicron as margins weaken further, Kaufman Hall reports

New uncertainties raised by the variant are likely to challenge hospitals as they grapple with shrinking operating margins as a result of escalating labor costs.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 1, 2021

Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in 340B case with billions of dollars at stake

A lower court initially sided with the American Hospital Association, a decision that was later reversed by an appeals court, which AHA characterized as a "legal error."

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 30, 2021

UPMC more than quadruples net income to $1.2B amid returning care and investment gains

Though patients returning to medical care delayed earlier in the pandemic helped its provider division, UPMC's health plan margin shrank due to higher medical claims in the period.

By Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 29, 2021

Medtronic blames revenue miss on COVID-19 resurgence, hospital staffing shortages

CEO Geoff Martha said the medtech was hit in its second quarter by pandemic-related challenges that weighed on procedure volumes, particularly in the U.S.

By Greg Slabodkin • Nov. 24, 2021

Weak investment markets drive Cleveland Clinic's income down 30%

Like its peers, the nonprofit giant reported expense growth outpacing revenue growth in the third quarter, though the disparity between the two wasn't as sharp as other systems'.

By Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 24, 2021

Advocate Aurora hit by margin pressure in Q3

The nonprofit system saw a major increase in spending on contracted medical services as well as a jump in supply costs.

By Samantha Liss • Nov. 23, 2021

Labor, supply chain pressures mount for US hospitals, Fitch says

Staffing shortages, higher transportation costs and trouble sourcing some materials threaten healthcare revenue and operating margins in the near term, the ratings agency said.

By Susan Kelly • Nov. 22, 2021