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Industry Updates

This broad category includes articles concerning health insurance costs, carrier and health plan news, changing benefits technology, and surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation and others on employee benefits.

Nearly 80% Of Docs Employed By Hospitals, Corporate Entities In Continued Shift Away From Independent Practice

The decadelong decline of independent physicians rolled on in 2022 and 2023 with a new high of 77.6% doctors employed by hospitals or other corporate entities as of the new year, according to a new report. The past two years saw that share increase by 5.1%, according to the Physicians Advocacy Institute-commissioned report prepared by Avalere. Prior ...

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Hackers Start Leaking Stolen Change Healthcare Data

The RansomHub hacking group is starting to share snippets of the data stolen from Change Healthcare’s networks during a recent attack. Why it matters: Initial screenshots published Monday and seen by Axios suggest that hackers have stolen a trove of sensitive information, including patients’ hospital bills, financial documents and company contracts. There’s currently a countdown on ...

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Upcoming SCOTUS Case Could Weaken the Impact of Regulation on Key Patient and Consumer Protections

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering jointly two cases, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, that could affect the impact of federal regulations in implementing laws passed by Congress. Although these cases are focused on regulations pertaining to the fishing industry, the court’s decision could have significant implications for numerous other policy ...

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4 In 5 Physicians Lost Revenue In Change Healthcare Cyberattack, AMA Says

The fallout from a February cyberattack against Change Healthcare, the largest billing and payment system in the U.S., has left thousands of doctor practices financially hurting, with 80% of physicians reporting “lost revenue from unpaid claims,” according to a survey by the American Medical Association. The AMA, which is the nation’s largest doctor group, said ...

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Drugmakers’ Low U.S. Taxes Belie Their High Sales

Tax day is here. While Americans are scrambling to file last minute returns, things are somewhat more complicated for corporations. Corporations are supposed to pay a nominal tax rate of 21%. But in recent years, the biggest pharmaceutical companies had an average effective tax rate of less than 12%, according to an analysis by the Senate Finance ...

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Health Systems Urge Congress To Lay Down A Permanent Road Map For Telehealth Services As Clock Ticks On December Deadline

A major House subcommittee is considering 15 bills to expand access to telehealth services as the clock ticks on a Dec. 31 deadline on pandemic-era flexibilities. The American Telemedicine Association has referred to 2024 as the “Super Bowl” of telehealth regulation as the trade group pushes Congress to make permanent the Medicare telehealth flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

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Biosimilar Skyrockets After CVS Removes AbbVie’s Humira from Formularies

Prescriptions for biosimilar versions of AbbVie’s Humira (adalimumab) have spiked to 36% after leading pharmacy benefit manager CVS Caremark removed the branded reference product from its major national commercial formularies, according to STAT News. Citing a note to investors by analyst firm Evercore ISI, STAT reported that in the week ending April 5, there were almost 8,300 new prescriptions for Sandoz’s ...

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State Public Option Plans Don’t Reduce Premiums, Result In Low Enrollment: Industry-Backed Study

Instead of enacting public option plans, states should target reinsurance programs, a new report from the Partnership for America's Health Care Future argues.

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Majority Of Americans Worry About Health Care Costs, Frequently Skip Needed Care

Uninsured individuals are more likely to skip or postpone medical care for more than a year because of cost (63%).

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CMS Proposes 2.6% Bump To Inpatient Pay In Fiscal 2025

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with reactions from hospital industry lobbying groups and organizations. The Biden administration is proposing a 2.6% increase for inpatient hospitals’ payments for the coming fiscal year, a $3.3 billion increase over the current year’s payout, as well as other policy adjustments intended to shore up surgical care coordination, drug ...

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