CVS to close Signify acquisition this week

CVS expects its $8 billion buy of home healthcare provider Signify to close on or near Wednesday, subject to certain conditions.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 27, 2023

Moderna CEO defends price of COVID shot at Senate hearing

Stéphane Bancel said his company’s planned price hike covers the higher costs of commercial sales. Sen. Bernie Sanders called it part of industry’s “unprecedented level of corporate greed.”

By Christopher Newman • March 22, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Social determinants of health

The focus on social determinants of health has only increased as the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the United States.

By Healthcare Dive staff

DOJ drops appeal against UnitedHealth’s acquisition of Change

In a Monday filing with a federal appeals court, the DOJ-led group agreed to withdraw its suit against a ruling that had allowed the merger.

By Sydney Halleman • March 22, 2023

Arbiters instructed to resume No Surprises Act determinations

The CMS had previously paused and resumed earlier disputes between payers and providers after a Texas judge ruled against the federal government and vacated portions of the law that bans surprise billing.

By Sydney Halleman • March 21, 2023

Provider directories remain inconsistent, despite No Surprises Act provisions

In a new study, researchers analyzed health plan provider directories for over 40% of U.S. physicians, and found inconsistencies for 81% of doctors across five major insurers.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 17, 2023

The health of a community depends on fair health insurance practices

Access to local and convenient care is critical for a community’s health. However, the current approach from payers puts this at risk, argues Antonio Rios, chief of population health at Northeast Georgia Health System.

By Antonio Rios • March 17, 2023

CMS lays out plans for negotiating drug prices

The guidance fills in details for one of the central pharmaceutical provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, signaling how the agency will use its new authority.

By Christopher Newman • March 16, 2023

Majority of states plan to take their time with Medicaid redeterminations

Some states are proposing to unwind Medicaid coverage more slowly, while others are moving more quickly to focus on reducing budgetary costs, according to a survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 16, 2023

Oscar Health names current physician leader new CMO

Sean Martin is stepping up as chief medical officer of the New York-based insurer, after Oscar’s old CMO left to become CMO of L.A. Care Health Plan in December.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 15, 2023

Physicians say prior authorization rules harm patients, AMA survey finds, as CMS works toward new policy

Over a third of physicians said the requirements led to a serious adverse event for one of their patients, such as hospitalization, permanent impairment or death, the survey found.

By Hailey Mensik • March 14, 2023

Biden’s proposed HHS budget aims to make pandemic-era subsidies permanent

The budget also proposes to extend Medicare solvency and give the federal government more power to negotiate prescription drug prices.

By Sydney Halleman • March 9, 2023

House committee latest to launch investigation into PBMs

It’s the most recent action targeting PBMs for allegedly using their market power to raise drug prices, and comes as the Federal Trade Commission also launched a similar investigation.

By Hailey Mensik • March 8, 2023

Insurers, trade groups ask CMS to delay MA rule

Insurance lobbyists argue that the 1.03% plan increase is insufficient and, in combination with other changes, would actually result in payment cuts.

By Sydney Halleman • March 7, 2023

FTC pushes back deadline for public to weigh in on noncompete ban

FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson said she would have supported an even longer extension since the proposed rule is “a departure from hundreds of years of precedent.” 

By Samantha Liss • March 7, 2023

Biden’s plan to improve Medicare solvency targets prescription drugs

The plan — part of Biden’s 2024 budget proposal set to be released Thursday — would further reduce what Medicare pays for prescription drugs and raise taxes on Americans earning over $400,000.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 7, 2023

Bright Health chases cash after overdrawing credit facility

Bright is facing a new threat to its solvency after overdrawing on credit amid efforts to discontinue its health insurance exchange business.

By Rebecca Pifer • March 1, 2023

Gross margins in MA market returned to pre-pandemic levels by end of 2021, report finds

The analysis of insurer markets in 2021, the latest year of available annual data, sheds light into the varied financial performance of insurers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Sydney Halleman • March 1, 2023

Hacking healthcare: With 385M patient records exposed, cybersecurity experts sound alarm on breach surge

Healthcare companies must harden their defenses, but it may require regulators and lawmakers to raise the bar on security standards, experts say.

By Jasmine Ye Han • Feb. 28, 2023

CMS says surprise billing arbitration can resume for some disputes — others remain on pause

Regulators are continuing to work on new guidance in light of a court decision that ruled against the government and threw a wrench in the third-party process to resolve payment disputes between payers and providers.

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 27, 2023

Humana exits employer insurance, pivots focus to government plans

The insurer said its employer segment no longer meets Humana’s long-term strategic plans.

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 24, 2023

Partisan gridlock shouldn’t threaten true value in healthcare

Oak Street CEO Mike Pykosz makes the case for value-based healthcare policy despite potential partisan gridlock in the 118th Congress.

By Mike Pykosz • Feb. 24, 2023

Cigna secures restraining order, barring executive from joining CVS

A judge said Cigna “would suffer irreparable harm absent a temporary injunction” and that it was “inevitable” that the employee, Amy Bricker, would share or use Cigna’s trade secrets while at CVS. 

By Samantha Liss • Feb. 22, 2023

UnitedHealth closes $5.4B buy of home health business LHC

LHC will become part of UnitedHealth’s health services arm Optum to help deliver integrated care, as demand for home and community care increases.

By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 22, 2023

Medicaid enrollees largely unaware of upcoming redeterminations, survey finds

About 64% of adults in a Medicaid-enrolled family said they didn’t know they could lose coverage once eligibility checks resume on April 1, a survey from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found.

By Hailey Mensik • Feb. 21, 2023

Could Medicaid redeterminations cause short-term health plan signups to spike?

Short-term plan operators will likely ramp up their marketing in April to nab new consumers from the Medicaid churn, but health policy experts largely aren't concerned.

By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 21, 2023