Quarter of Medicare members can't access telehealth visits, JAMA studies show

The gallop to digital delivery of care may have left more marginalized populations without access to high-speed internet, a smartphone or even a computer behind, two studies suggest.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Aug. 3, 2020

House panel finds Trump admin bungled Philips ventilator deal, overpaid by $500M

Philips denied raising prices to benefit from the COVID-19 crisis and said it is on track with scheduled production and delivery of ventilators.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 3, 2020

Hospitals consider Supreme Court appeal in 340B drug payment cut case

Judges have denied a request from the American Hospital Association and other plaintiffs to have the case reheard before the full bench after the nearly 30% rate reduction was upheld in July.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated Oct. 20, 2020

US promises $2.1B to Sanofi, GSK in latest coronavirus vaccine deal

The contract is the largest yet from the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed, although Sanofi and GSK have yet to begin clinical testing of their shot.

By Ned Pagliarulo • July 31, 2020

HHS prods Congress to act on surprise billing, but doesn't take a side on how

Congress has taken some action on surprise billing in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, barring the practice for COVID-19 testing and treatment during the public health emergency. Still, a larger overhaul is unlikely soon.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 29, 2020

Telehealth made up almost half of all Medicare beneficiaries' primary care use in April

Fee-for-service beneficiaries adopted telehealth for primary care at unprecedented rates as COVID-19 spread in the U.S., according to a new HHS report.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 29, 2020

CMS to begin recouping COVID-19 Medicare loans

Hospital groups have pleaded with the Trump administration and Congress to forgive the loans, or relax repayment terms, with no relief so far.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 27, 2020

6 months in: Following the flow of CARES hospital funding

Congress has allocated $175 billion to help providers respond to the COVID-19 crisis, but HHS has been hit with multiple complaints about distribution as that money goes out the door.

By Samantha Liss • July 27, 2020

'Weeks where decades happen': Telehealth 6 months into COVID-19

The nascent industry exploded out of necessity earlier this year, but its future staying power will depend on what insurers are willing to cover and whether some of the regulations relaxed because of the pandemic will stay rolled back.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 27, 2020

After 6 months of darkness, primary care practices see little light ahead

"You have to dig yourself out of a financial hole — it's not a hole, it's a crater — created by the pandemic," said Gary LeRoy, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • July 27, 2020

6 months in: What will the new normal look like for hospitals?

Whether there is a nationwide second wave or smaller surges in regions at different times, hospitals will need to remain vigilant and in an effective state of emergency until there is a cure or vaccine for COVID-19.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 27, 2020

6 months in: The COVID-19 crisis

This series of stories examines how healthcare has changed during the course of the novel coronavirus in the United States, half a year after HHS declared a national public health emergency.

July 27, 2020

What it's like to be a nurse after 6 months of COVID-19 response

"I think the biggest change is we always relied on science, and we have always relied heavily on infection control protocols to guide our practice," a nurse working on the frontlines said. "Now infection control is out of control, we can no longer rely on the information and resources we always have."

By Hailey Mensik • July 27, 2020

Skinny short-term plans deny coverage for pre-existing conditions: Commonwealth Fund

The analysis of more than 400 plans called junk by critics concluded few offer tangible benefits. The Trump administration backs short-term plans, arguing they're a low-cost alternative to broader coverage.

By Ron Shinkman • July 23, 2020

COVID-19 public health emergency extended

Extending the emergency allows several regulatory changes meant to help providers manage outbreaks of the novel coronavirus to continue, including the rollback of telehealth restrictions and Medicare add-on payments.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 23, 2020

Why COVID-19's biggest impact on healthcare may not be until 2022

This perfect storm of a shift in payer mix, the impending insolvency of Medicare and the inability of states to absorb the growing costs of Medicaid represent a tsunami of challenges, former VA Secretary David Shulkin writes.

By David Shulkin • July 23, 2020

Coronavirus vaccines speed ahead, but experts fear not everyone will take them

Gaining trust will be a big task as public health officials gear up for one of the biggest immunization campaigns in decades. 

By Jonathan Gardner • July 23, 2020

Coronavirus vaccine developers make case to Congress they can win public's trust

While developing a safe and effective vaccine remains the chief challenge, lawmakers grilled pharma officials on how any successful shot would be fairly priced and distributed.

By Ben Fidler • July 22, 2020

Hospitals to challenge loss on site neutral payments

An appeal court ruled earlier this month HHS was acting within its authority when it reduced some payments to off-campus hospital outpatient departments to make them consistent with other outpatient payments.

By Shannon Muchmore • Updated July 27, 2020

Public health officials blast COVID-19 data reporting change imposed on hospitals

"In the midst of the worst public health crisis in a century, it is counter-productive to create a new mechanism which will be extremely complicated to build and implement," one coalition said of the abrupt change.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 16, 2020

Trump admin seeks relaxed grandfathered ACA health plan rules that up out-of-pocket costs

The proposed rule acknowledged that changes could lead to higher deductibles and other costs for an estimated 23.1 million enrollees in such plans and lead to more people foregoing healthcare.

By Ron Shinkman • July 13, 2020

Shelter-in-place orders prevented as many as 370K deaths, Health Affairs finds

A new study in the journal Health Affairs concluded statewide shelter-in-place orders were effective in cutting down hospitalizations and deaths caused by COVID-19.

By Ron Shinkman • July 10, 2020

HHS to funnel additional $4B in coronavirus aid to safety net, suburban providers

Some acute care hospitals didn't qualify for the previous round of funding even though they serve as critical safety-net facilities within their communities. Friday's announcement expands the definition.

By Samantha Liss • July 10, 2020

Sutter loses bid to delay $575M antitrust settlement approval

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a plaintiff, applauded the ruling. "Sutter's practices harmed California's healthcare market ... long before the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

By Shannon Muchmore • July 10, 2020

Fitch: Repaying Medicare loans unlikely to place significant burden on for-profit operators

The ratings agency, however, is assuming there is a strong rebound in elective procedures during the second half of the year, which may need to be reconsidered if the disruption lasts longer than anticipated.

By Samantha Liss • July 9, 2020