States need help to enforce mental health parity laws, report finds

Researchers from Georgetown University advocate for more federal support to remove insurance-related obstacles to treatment.

By Susan Kelly • Oct. 17, 2022

Price transparency data provides new visibility into real rates paid to providers

Payers can use the data to gain insights regarding the rates hospitals have negotiated with other payers, which potentially can be used during contract negotiations, BRG analysts argue.

By JoAnna Younts and Konstantin Gorelik • Oct. 14, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Labor

Hospitals are navigating persistent labor shortages with the need to cut costs — a source of contention that could leave patients caught in the middle.

By Healthcare Dive staff

Family glitch fix for ACA premium subsidies finalized

The new rule extends premium subsidies to previously ineligible dependents of workers with employer-sponsored coverage.

By Susan Kelly • Oct. 12, 2022

Fewer MA plans with Part D earn 4 stars in latest CMS tally

Just over half of plans received four stars or more for 2023, a sharp decrease from 68% last year.

By Susan Kelly • Oct. 10, 2022

Hospitals are hiding prices from patients, advocacy report says

Patient Rights Advocate concluded that some hospitals owned by Ascension and HCA Healthcare are omitting rates for medical services from files made public under new federal rules.

By Susan Kelly • Oct. 10, 2022

Providers now required to share greater scope of patient data

As of Thursday, the amount of data that healthcare entities must share to comply with sweeping information blocking regulations has increased, despite providers saying they’re not ready for the change.

By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 6, 2022

SCOTUS won’t hear challenge to health worker vaccine mandate

In January, the high court upheld the CMS rule mandating that healthcare workers be vaccinated against COVID-19 at medical facilities that receive federal funding.

By Hailey Mensik • Oct. 4, 2022

Medicare Advantage premiums set to drop again next year

Enrollment in the popular plans is expected to continue to grow in 2023, CMS predicts.

By Susan Kelly • Oct. 3, 2022

Medicare Part B premium to drop for first time in a decade, Biden says

The reduction is tied to lower-than-expected spending for the controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 28, 2022

Stopgap Senate bill advances, but leaves COVID-19 funding behind

The bill cuts funding for COVID-19 and monkeypox aid but extends two rural hospital programs.

By Sydney Halleman • Sept. 28, 2022

AHA asks HHS to delay Oct. 6 deadline for information blocking compliance

Health groups must start sharing health information electronically as regulators seek to make it easier for consumers to access their health data. But groups warn they’re not prepared to meet the deadline.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 27, 2022

Nebraska awards Medicaid managed care contracts to 3 insurers

The health plans, selected from a field of five, will receive five-year contracts.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 27, 2022

DOJ’s case against UnitedHealth’s Change buy was hampered by ‘serious flaws,’ judge finds

The most serious flaws were failing to prove that UnitedHealth is likely to misuse Change Healthcare’s data to advantage the company, Judge Carl Nichols wrote.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 23, 2022

Texas Medical Association files another lawsuit over surprise billing ban

“We are, once again, asking for the law to be followed as Congress intended, and for the challenged provisions to be invalidated,” TMA’s president said.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 23, 2022

Watchdog faults FDA for rushing COVID tests to market by easing emergency use rules

The HHS Office of Inspector General found that by loosening emergency use authorization requirements to bring COVID-19 tests to market faster, the agency allowed inaccurate tests to be distributed.

By Elise Reuter • Sept. 22, 2022

Bipartisan Senate bill aims to boost mental health access, improve worker shortages

The legislation comes as the Biden Administration aims to tackle the country’s worsening mental health crisis, which was exacerbated by the pandemic.

By Sydney Halleman • Sept. 22, 2022

Majority of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, CDC says

Mental health conditions were the No. 1 cause of pregnancy-related mortality, the agency said.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 21, 2022

HHS ‘roadmap’ aims to tackle nation’s mental health crisis

The initiative prioritizes integrating behavioral health services into primary and other specialty care areas as well as community-based settings like schools.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 21, 2022

Judge denies DOJ’s move to block $13B UnitedHealth, Change deal

The judge’s ruling follows a trial in which the DOJ argued that UnitedHealth’s bid for Change would disadvantage rivals and result in higher costs, lower quality and less innovative commercial health insurance.

By Samantha Liss • Sept. 20, 2022

Health sector causes 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, report finds

The congressional report also found a majority of health systems surveyed had been affected by an extreme weather event.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 19, 2022

Hospitals sending ‘distress flare’ after billions in projected 2022 losses

A Thursday report prepared by Kaufman Hall showed that hospitals are likely to lose billions, driven by an overall expected $135 billion increase in expenses this year, and a $86 billion rise in labor costs alone.

By Sydney Halleman • Sept. 16, 2022

First Medicaid mobile mental health service to launch in Oregon

The program supports the 988 national hotline and is part of President Joe Biden's strategy to combat the country's mental health crisis.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 14, 2022

Amazon, Walmart among hundreds of employers, health groups urging Senate to extend telehealth flexibilities

The groups sent a letter to lawmakers on Tuesday asking them to extend pandemic-era access to virtually delivered care, including waiving provider and patient location limitations.

By Rebecca Pifer • Sept. 14, 2022

Biden to ‘supercharge’ cancer moonshot initiative

The president wants the U.S. to cut cancer deaths by at least 50% in the next 25 years, while also turning “more cancers from death sentences into chronic diseases people can live with.”

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 13, 2022

Sen. Lindsey Graham introduces his strictest national abortion ban yet

The South Carolina lawmaker announced Tuesday that he planned to introduce a 15-week national abortion ban in Congress.

By Sydney Halleman • Sept. 13, 2022