Medicaid-Cut Pushback Coming From Inside The House

Republican leaders want to cut billions from Medicaid, but some of their colleagues are pushing back because they represent larger-than-average Medicaid populations, Kelly reports. A POLITICO review of enrollment in Medicaid by congressional district found that 11 Republicans in competitive seats represent larger-than-average Medicaid populations — collectively, nearly 2.7 million recipients. A vote to cut the ...

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California Bill Aims To Force Insurers To Disclose Denial Rates

Proposed legislation could make California one of only a handful of states that require insurers to disclose denial rates and reasoning, which the industry often considers proprietary information.

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Blue Shield Of California Drops CVS, Taps Amazon: What’s Behind The PBM Shakeup

As lawmakers scrutinize the nation's pharmacy benefit managers, the California insurer expects to save $500 million in annual drug costs by replacing most of CVS Health's PBM services by January 2025.

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Trump Admin Defends IRA Drug Price Negotiation Program In Novartis Lawsuit

The Trump administration, perhaps surprisingly, chose to defend the legality of the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA’s) drug price negotiation program enacted under President Joe Biden. In a filing Feb. 19, the government agreed with the legal arguments used by the prior administration and by a lower court, dealing a blow to pharmaceutical drugmakers enraged by the program. ...

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BCBSA Report: Addressing Hospital, Pharma Costs Could Save $1T Over Next Decade

The federal government under the Trump administration has turned its focus to cutting costs, and a new report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association highlights policy efforts it says could save nearly $1 trillion in healthcare costs over the next decade. The road map includes 10 policy proposals for stakeholders to consider, and BCBSA said these ...

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Supreme Court Schedules Arguments In Case Where Trump Administration Is Defending ACA

The Supreme Court on Monday scheduled arguments for April 21 in a case that could decide the legality of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) requirement that insurers cover certain preventive services. In a surprising move, the Trump administration said it will continue the Biden White House’s defense of that requirement. But some legal experts said ...

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With RFK Jr. in Charge, Supplement Makers See Chance To Cash In

Last fall, before being named the senior U.S. health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Trump administration would liberate Americans from the FDA’s “aggressive suppression” of vitamins, dietary supplements, and other substances — ending the federal agency’s “war on public health,” as he put it. In fact, the FDA can’t even require that supplements ...

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California May Stop AI Bots From Calling Themselves Doctors

A powerful California lawmaker wants to regulate how artificial intelligence systems interact with health plan participants. Assemblymember Mia Bonte, a Democrat who chairs the assembly’s Health Committee, has introduced a bill that would keep the developers and users of AI systems from having the AI systems imply that they are doctors, nurses or other types ...

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FDA Rehires Staff To Its Medical Devices Division After Mass Layoffs

Around 180 FDA medical device workers were laid off this month by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

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Sutter Health Investing $1B To Build New California Hospital, Expand Ambulatory Care Services

Sutter Health will invest $1 billion to expand its services across Northern California’s East Bay region, including a new flagship campus in Emeryville. The health system announced Wednesday that the campus will feature a new medical center with up to 200 beds as well as a regional destination for ambulatory care. The plans also leave ...

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