Government: Page 49
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SARINYAPINNGAM via Getty Images
Payers to return $1B to enrollees after record years of rebates, KFF says
The amount reflects the third-straight year of large insurer rebates as payers experienced high profits from the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Sydney Halleman • June 3, 2022 -
Carol Highsmith. (2005). "Apex Bldg." [Photo]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
FTC sues to block 2 hospital mergers
Steward Health Care System said it is deeply disappointed by the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to challenge its sale to HCA Healthcare in Utah as it weighs next steps.
By Samantha Liss • Updated June 7, 2022 -
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 -
iStock via Getty Images
Trustees' report shows additional breathing room for Medicare solvency, though concerns remain
Stronger-than-expected economic recovery from COVID-19 pushed back Medicare's go-broke date by two years, though budget hawks are warning the sunnier outlook might rely on outdated assumptions.
By Rebecca Pifer • June 3, 2022 -
Permission granted by Biogen
Medicare premiums will remain unchanged after Aduhelm price cut spurs review
The HHS Secretary had hoped premiums could be cut for seniors sooner rather than later but there are "legal and operational hurdles" to changing premiums midyear, according to a statement released Friday.
By Samantha Liss • May 31, 2022 -
Mark Wilson via Getty Images
HHS asks for more information blocking authority from Congress
If Congress grants regulators the expanded authority, actors could be protected from steep fines for data-sharing practices the HHS previously said were acceptable under complex information blocking regulations.
By Rebecca Pifer • May 27, 2022 -
Rollback of pandemic protections to test Medicaid managed care organizations
At question is whether insurers will be able to shift Medicaid members who lose coverage to subsidized marketplace plans.
By Samantha Liss • May 26, 2022 -
Megan Quinn/Healthcare Dive
Healthcare spending could drop $11.4B next year if ACA premium subsidies expire, research finds
The looming coverage cliff would also hit providers financially, according to a new report. President Joe Biden has pushed Congress to extend the more generous financial aid provided by the American Rescue Plan.
By Rebecca Pifer • May 26, 2022 -
North Carolina Republicans draft Medicaid expansion bill
The proposal, which signals growing support for expansion among state lawmakers after years of opposition, would add 600,000 low-income adults to the safety net insurance program.
By Susan Kelly • May 25, 2022 -
AHA urges DOJ to probe Medicare Advantage plans that deny care
The hospital lobby is pushing the Justice Department to punish Medicare Advantage organizations that routinely deny coverage to beneficiaries.
By Susan Kelly • May 23, 2022 -
David Paul Morris via Getty Images
Google hires former FDA digital health officer to global strategy post
In his new role, Bakul Patel will help Google build a unified digital health and regulatory strategy.
By Samantha Liss • May 19, 2022 -
Mass General files performance improvement plan with state
Massachusetts' largest hospital system has set cost savings targets after state regulators found fault with its healthcare spending growth and pressured the nonprofit to scale back a proposed expansion project.
By Susan Kelly • May 18, 2022 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
LabCorp becomes first company to get EUA for direct-to-consumer test for flu, RSV, COVID-19
LabCorp's kit is differentiated from other companies' products as it enables at-home sample collection without a prescription.
By Nick Paul Taylor • May 18, 2022 -
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2020). "Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2" [Micrograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
NIH licenses COVID-19 technologies to WHO-backed program
The agreement, which covers three experimental vaccines as well as several key patents, makes products sold in 49 low-income countries royalty-free.
By Jonathan Gardner • May 16, 2022 -
Insurers seek steep marketplace premium hikes in Vermont
Proposed average increases on individual and family plans would buck the national trend of declining ACA exchange premiums. The increases would reach 17% for MVP Health Care and 12% for Blue Cross Blue Shield.
By Susan Kelly • May 16, 2022 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Efforts to protect health workers from violence on the job ramp up
Renewed efforts to pass federal requirements for healthcare employers come as some systems are implementing their own policies to keep workers safe.
By Hailey Mensik • May 13, 2022 -
VA EHR implementation facing patient data, access concerns, audit finds
The multibillion-dollar Cerner implementation hasn't improved data exchange as well as some had hoped, as the departments "did not take all actions needed to achieve interoperability," the audit found.
By Rebecca Pifer • May 12, 2022 -
Courtesy of Advocate Aurora Health, Atrium Health
FTC likely to examine insurer overlap in Advocate Aurora, Atrium merger
Mergers with geographic overlap often face challenges. This deal doesn't "raise the same red flags, but it doesn't mean that it gets waved through," said Leemore Dafny, former deputy director of healthcare and antitrust at the FTC.
By Samantha Liss • May 12, 2022 -
Megan Quinn/Healthcare Dive
Hospital, payer, IT groups urge Congress to overturn ban on unique patient identifier
Industry groups are ratcheting up the pressure on Congress to nix a decadesold ban on using federal funding to create a UPI. Subcommittees, meanwhile, are continuing hearings for 2023 appropriations bills.
By Rebecca Pifer • May 5, 2022 -
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
ER providers push for federal protection against rising health worker violence
Nurses have been bitten, punched and strangled with stethoscopes, "all while just trying to provide basic care to patients," Todd Haines, a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, said Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
By Hailey Mensik • May 5, 2022 -
Telemedicine reached disadvantaged communities during pandemic, study finds
The results surprised Johns Hopkins University researchers, who said it contrasted with earlier findings showing an inverse link between socioeconomic status and use of telemedicine in the pandemic.
By Susan Kelly • May 4, 2022 -
Surprise Billing
Air ambulance provider latest to sue over surprise billing ban
The central issue of the new lawsuit is the guidance the federal government has provided to third-party arbiters.
By Samantha Liss • May 2, 2022 -
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Biden admin suspends Georgia plan to let private sector run ACA marketplace
CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said the controversial plan would provide coverage to fewer people and no longer complies with federal law and other policies.
By Rebecca Pifer • May 2, 2022 -
Permission granted by Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers wins FDA approval for first drug to treat inherited heart condition
Bristol Myers paid $13 billion to acquire the drug's maker, MyoKardia, and expects it to become a blockbuster. But a tricky dosing regimen, as well as safety concerns, could challenge the pharmaceutical giant's lofty forecast.
By Jonathan Gardner • April 29, 2022 -
Medicare Advantage plans denied some members needed care, OIG finds
The report calls for improved oversight of MA and urges the CMS to update audit protocols and issue new guidance on medical necessity reviews performed by the plans.
By Samantha Liss • April 29, 2022 -
Stefani Reynolds / Stringer via Getty Images
'Very false and misleading' criticisms over direct contracting stoked model controversy, stakeholders say
Political ire around direct contracting that came to a head earlier this year was rooted in a "real lack of understanding," one CEO of a physician group said at NAACOS' spring conference.
By Rebecca Pifer • April 29, 2022
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