Deep in a budget deal Congress passed earlier this year -- just 118 words in Section 53116, a little before passages on prison reporting data and payment yields for seed cotton -- was a hit to pharmaceutical companies that will cost them billions, and could signal more losses to come. 

U.S. retailer Walmart Inc is in early-stage talks with health insurer Humana Inc about developing closer ties, with the acquisition of Humana being discussed as one possibility, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Friday that, after a six-year investigation, he has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Sacramento-based Sutter Health in San Francisco Superior Court, alleging that the health-care company has used its market power to control prices and exclude competition.

The CMS finalized a rule Monday giving Medicare Advantage plans a 3.4% pay hike in 2019. That's well above the 1.84% bump the agency initially proposed and higher that the 2.95% increase for 2018.

A poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, released Tuesday, found that 61 percent of people enrolled in marketplace plans are satisfied with their insurance choices and that a majority say they are not paying more this year compared with last year’s premium costs.

California is among a group of states that have taken drug prices into their own hands, with lawmakers last year passing a bill aimed at shining new light on the pricing process. Now, the state is starting to see early results.