Today's Top 20 Stories

  1. 10 states where commercial insurers pay hospitals the highest rates

    Rylee Wilson -
    Hospitals in Georgia and Florida charge employers and commercial insurers rates 345% higher than Medicare, according to a Rand Corp. report published May 13. 

  2. Five women leaders on the shifting landscape of women's health, per UnitedHealthcare

    Stephanie Fehr; Lisa Saul, MD; Rhonda Randall, DO; Nancy Blase, BSN, RN; Karla Marlatt, PhD -
    Health care is shifting its approach to women’s health. Who better to explain what’s driving that change than women executives at UnitedHealthcare and the Advisory Board.

  3. CMS extends Medicaid waivers to 2025

    Rylee Wilson -
    CMS will extend flexibilities designed to help states keep more eligible individuals enrolled in Medicaid through June 2025. 

The state of AI in healthcare

Sponsored
86% of healthcare leaders say AI will define success over the next 5 years. Insights + strategies for successful adoption here.

  1. Centene, Wellvana ink multi-year primary care deal for Medicare Advantage members 

    Jakob Emerson -
    Centene's Wellcare and value-based physician enablement company Wellvana have inked a multi-year primary care partnership for Wellcare Medicare Advantage members in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. 

  2. Inside a fast-growing Medicare Advantage startup's grassroots approach

    Rylee Wilson -
    The average Medicare Advantage beneficiary can choose between dozens of plans. With so many options, one of the fastest-growing Medicare Advantage startups is trying to set itself apart with a grassroots approach. 

  3. 1 in 4 people taking weight loss drugs say insurance covered the full cost

    Rylee Wilson -
    Most adults who have taken GLP-1 drugs say their insurance has covered at least part of the cost, according to a survey from KFF published May 10. 

  4. UnitedHealth in the headlines: 10 updates

    Andrew Cass -
    From its CEO testifying before Congress to the closing of a co-branded Medicare Advantage plan with Walmart, here are 10 updates on UnitedHealth Group Becker's has reported since April 24: 

How one Midwest hospital is driving financial efficiency with interconnected systems

Sponsored
Major time savers can stem from single logins. That's how 1 hospital achieved a 50% reduction in month-end close time — read the short case study, here.

  1. IRS posts HSA, HDHP limits for 2025

    Jakob Emerson -
    The annual limit on HSA contributions for individuals with self-only coverage is rising to $4,300 in 2025 from $4,150 in 2024, the IRS said May 9.

  2. Lawmakers pitch expanded doula coverage in Medicaid

    Rylee Wilson -
    Federal lawmakers are proposing allowing Medicaid reimbursement of doulas and midwives in every state. 

  3. UnitedHealth offers to divest 100 locations in Amedisys deal: Report

    Rylee Wilson -
    UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys plan to divest more than 100 clinic locations to make its proposed acquisition more palatable to regulators, Capitol Forum reported. 

  4. Utah fines UnitedHealthcare for selling unapproved health plans

    Jakob Emerson -
    Utah has fined UnitedHealthcare $546,500 for selling unapproved health plans to state residents.

How one Midwest hospital is driving financial efficiency with interconnected systems

Sponsored
Major time savers can stem from single logins. That's how 1 hospital achieved a 50% reduction in month-end close time — read the short case study, here.

  1. Illinois expands weight loss drug coverage to state employees

    Jakob Emerson -
    Illinois is expanding coverage of weight-loss drugs to state employees, a move Gov. JB Pritzker's office estimates could cost up to $210 million annually, WBEZ reported April 30.

  2. 11 payers cutting jobs | 2024

    Jakob Emerson -
    Payers are trimming their workforces and cutting jobs due to financial or operational challenges, along with restructuring strategies. 

  3. Limiting Medicare Advantage patient surveys could save billions: Study

    Rylee Wilson -
    Limiting the use of health risk assessments in Medicare Advantage could save the federal government billions each year, a study published May 6 in Health Affairs found. 

  4. Cigna, Oscar Health to shutter small group business

    Rylee Wilson -
    Oscar Health and Cigna will discontinue their co-branded Cigna + Oscar business at the end of 2024. 

  5. How Humana is moving beyond awareness during National Minority Health Month

    J. Nwando Olayiwola, MD, chief health equity officer at Humana -
    National Minority Health Month (NMHM) is an annual observance that builds awareness about health disparities that persist among Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Native American/Indigenous, and other minority communities across the United States. 

  6. Payers ranked by D-SNP enrollment, retention

    Jakob Emerson -
    UnitedHealthcare has the most D-SNP members, while Healthfirst and Kaiser Permanente recorded 97% member retention rates during the Medicare open enrollment period.

  7. Highmark lays off more employees 

    Jakob Emerson -
    Highmark Health has laid off 47 employees, PennLive reported May 7.

  8. BCBS Louisiana names new CEO in wake of failed Elevance deal

    Rylee Wilson -
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana has named Bryan Camerlinck as its next CEO. 

  9. Lawmakers want probe into UnitedHealth insider trading concerns

    Andrew Cass -
    A group of federal lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, sent a letter to Securities & Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler asking him to open an investigation into potential insider trading by UnitedHealth Group executives. 

Featured Learning Opportunities

Top 40 articles from the past 6 months