ProPublica: Millions of dollars in unused medical supplies discarded

Hospitals point to patient safety guidelines as a defense for the practice of discarding medical supplies even when they are unused and unexpired. 

By Luke Gale • March 10, 2017

ACA replacement bill continues to face major hurdles

Two House committees spent hours marking up the bill Wednesday and into Thursday while more industry groups said they couldn't support the legislation.

By Shannon Muchmore • March 9, 2017

DC telehealth bill would expand physician pool for underserved areas of city

Currently, 17 states participate in the interstate licensing compact.

By Meg Bryant • March 8, 2017

Revised order on immigration does not quell healthcare concerns

An updated executive order could prevent medical students from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Syria from attending residency programs in the United States.

By Luke Gale • March 8, 2017

Negative reactions roll in for Republican ACA replacement bill

Members of the House Freedom Caucus said at a press conference that they plan to introduce the original ACA repeal bill from 2015 this week.

By Jeff Byers • March 7, 2017

HHS Secretary comments in support of Medicare for seniors

While Tom Price supported efforts to privatize Medicare as a member of Congress, he recently stated President Donald Trump's administration “believes in the guarantee of Medicare for our seniors."

By Luke Gale • March 7, 2017

CDC prepares for new strain of bird flu without appointed leader

A new strain of bird flu is on the rise, which has prompted the CDC to begin thinking about a new vaccine. 

By Luke Gale • March 6, 2017

Teladoc's membership grows by 55%, hits 17.5M

States have shown mixed progress with telemedicine adoption and coverage, a new report from the American Telemedicine Association revealed. 

By Ana Mulero • March 6, 2017

Cigna reverses course, says Anthem merger should be approved

Cigna now agrees the court decision that blocked its $54 billion merger with Anthem should be reversed after the U.S. Court of Appeals granted the motion to expedite the appeal process. 

By Ana Mulero • March 3, 2017

Thank Goodness It's Friday: Twitter investigates 'secret' GOP ACA replacement bill

In a strange turn of events, senators and journalists scoured the basement of Congress for an ACA replacement bill that was said to be "under lock & key, in a secure location." Here's everything you (don't really) need to know. 

By Ana Mulero, Jeff Byers & Shannon Muchmore • March 2, 2017

JAMA: Legislative action needed to improve healthcare competition

As hospital consolidation continues and more physicians turn to hospitals for employment, the authors state competition in many healthcare markets is on the decline.

By Jeff Byers , Luke Gale • March 2, 2017

Senate Finance Committee advances Verma's CMS nomination

Seema Verma is still expected to receive confirmation as the new head of the CMS, but several members of the Senate Finance Committee were absent from the scheduled vote Wednesday, causing a delay.

By Shannon Muchmore • March 2, 2017

Provider groups ask feds to delay EHR upgrade deadline

Just 54 of more than 3,700 EHR products have been certified to 2015 Edition requirements, the 100 medical groups and and state medical societies say. 

By Meg Bryant • March 2, 2017

House Ways and Means Committee to release healthcare legislation this month

A handful of Republican healthcare ideas have been debated over the past several months, but the party has still not coalesced behind a particular plan for repealing and replacing the ACA. 

By Luke Gale • March 2, 2017

Trump outlines 5 principles for healthcare reform

The president called on all Democrats and Republicans to work together on healthcare going forward.

By Jeff Byers • March 1, 2017

Growing attention on surprise medical bills highlights need for legislative action

Surprise medical bills have caught the attention of journalists and researchers. As more and more information becomes available, it seems there is a growing appetite for federal legislation to address the problem. 

By Luke Gale • March 1, 2017

Early elective deliveries less common now than in 2010

Seema Verma, the nominee to lead CMS, indicated during a confirmation hearing that the government should not require health plans to include maternity coverage.

By Luke Gale • Feb. 28, 2017

U.S. News & World Report delivers state-by-state healthcare rankings

The rankings deliver state profiles that can serve as building blocks to improve understanding of discrepancies in healthcare.

By Luke Gale • Feb. 28, 2017

South Dakota lifts restrictions on nurse practitioner independence

The nation's impending physician shortage and growth in demand for primary care services has led lawmakers to turn to nurses to help address the problem. 

By Luke Gale • Feb. 27, 2017

Antibiotic-resistant infections among children increased 700% in 8 years

Hospitals are still prescribing a lot of antibiotics but the threats of superbugs and hospital-acquired infections are increasing.

By Shannon Muchmore • Feb. 24, 2017

ACA repeal draft bill surfaces

The draft bill phases out Medicaid expansion, replaces subsidies to help people buy coverage with tax credits and pays for it with a limit on the tax exemption for employer-sponsored insurance.

By Shannon Muchmore • Feb. 24, 2017

CMS extends non-ACA compliant plans to end of 2018

The federal agency is leaving it up to the states to decide whether the individual and small group insurance policies can be renewed.

By Ana Mulero • Feb. 23, 2017

CMS: ACO coverage trends upwards in 2017

MACRA took it to another level with value-based initiatives and providers have skin in the game. Will progress persist despite turmoil on Capitol Hill? 

By Luke Gale • Feb. 23, 2017

65,000 providers lose Medicaid eligibility

An ACA rule intended to fight fraud may have removed providers from Medicaid rolls when they inadvertently missed a deadline to revalidate their eligibility.

By Luke Gale • Feb. 23, 2017

Trump administration delays payer exchange deadlines, stalls on subsidies

Federal agencies are now working to stabilize the health insurance exchanges despite President Donald Trump's campaign promises to repeal the ACA.

By Luke Gale • Feb. 22, 2017