STAT+: What Medicare Advantage enrollment could look like for next year
You’re reading the web version of Health Care Inc., STAT’s weekly newsletter following the flow…
Category: insurance
STAT+: Insurers went all-in on Medicare Advantage. Now, some are scaling back
For years, health insurers battled to gain market share in the lucrative privatized Medicare program….
STAT+: Key Senate Republican throws cold water on Affordable Care Act repeal, site-neutral payment policy
WASHINGTON — A key Senate Republican dismissed the idea that the Affordable Care Act can…
Trump admits he still doesn’t have an Affordable Care Act replacement plan
WASHINGTON — Eight years after he was elected president on a promise to repeal and…
Opinion: How much does it cost to give birth in the U.S.?
What does it cost to have a baby in the United States? This question has…
STAT+: How powerful hospitals helped take R1 RCM private
You’re reading the web version of Health Care Inc., STAT’s weekly newsletter following the flow…
STAT+: Highmark reboots coverage of digital treatments, raising hope among DTx companies
Highmark Health, a large regional health insurer that also owns a chain of hospitals, is…
STAT+: HCA and UnitedHealth resolve contract disputes in four states hours before deadline
HCA Healthcare and UnitedHealthcare reached agreements just hours before their contracts were scheduled to expire…
Our investigation of UnitedHealth, explainer on Oropouche and news on maternal health
Want to stay on top of health news? Sign up to get our Morning Rounds newsletter in…
STAT+: Centene eliminates brokers’ commissions for Medicare drug plans
Health insurer Centene will not pay any commissions to brokers and agents who help people…
STAT+: CVS removes top Aetna leader as higher medical costs eat further into profits
CVS Health continued to pay out more than it expected for the medical claims of…
Millions of people became uninsured as Medicaid programs cut coverage, new data show
The national uninsured rate rose from 7.7% to 8.2% earlier this year, a result of…
STAT+: For-profit hospitals are getting a boost from a flood of patients
You’re reading the web version of Health Care Inc., STAT’s weekly newsletter following the flow of money…
STAT+: How UnitedHealth harnesses its physician empire to squeeze profits out of patients
UnitedHealth Group started out as a small, Minnesota health insurance company and has since morphed…
Watch: How insurers use doctors to profit off medical codes
Insurers like UnitedHealth are profiting off of the Medicare Advantage system, and it’s causing problems…
STAT+: Medicare and Medicaid struggles foreshadow a rocky health insurer earnings season
You’re reading the web version of Health Care Inc., STAT’s weekly newsletter following the flow…
STAT+: Elevance tumbles as health insurer warns Medicaid members are using more care
Wall Street’s reaction was swift Wednesday after Elevance Health said that the amount of care…
STAT+: UnitedHealth CEO concedes company was ‘over-optimistic’ about Change cyberattack recovery
UnitedHealth Group’s CEO said Tuesday that his team was “over-optimistic” about the pace at which…
STAT+: New Medicare Advantage star ratings give extra bonuses to multiple insurers
More than two dozen Medicare Advantage insurers received higher quality marks for 2024, based on…
STAT+: The CEO of Kaiser’s new health network shares why he’s making a bet on a tiny North Carolina hospital system
Outside of North Carolina, most people probably haven’t heard of Cone Health. But the relatively…
STAT+: Kaiser adds a small North Carolina health system to its Risant Health network
Kaiser Permanente on Friday announced the next deal to build out its Risant Health network…
Change Healthcare to begin notifying patients that cyberattack compromised their private info
Change Healthcare is beginning the process of notifying a “substantial proportion” of Americans that their…
STAT+: Why a big California employer ditched Elevance for some of its health plans
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System is making a drastic change to one of its…
STAT+: Cigna wins case to block former executive from jumping to CVS
CVS Health viewed Amy Bricker as a potential CEO. But she won’t be going to…
STAT+: Appeals court overturns Sutter Health’s victory in $400 million antitrust case
When Sutter Health was on trial for anticompetitive conduct in 2022, the San Francisco jury…
STAT+: Value-based payment is getting renewed attention. What it means isn’t getting any clearer
WASHINGTON — Nearly 20 years ago, policymakers had an epiphany: The health care system should…
STAT+: Health insurers boast to investors about using AI, but they’d rather not talk about it
Health insurers are telling shareholders that they are ramping up the use of artificial intelligence…
UnitedHealth argues algorithm lawsuit should be dismissed because patients didn’t spend years appealing denials
UnitedHealth Group should be released from a lawsuit that alleges its algorithm-based technology prematurely cut…
STAT+: CVS is willing to dump 10% of its Medicare Advantage members next year
CVS Health is preparing to make significant changes to its 2025 Medicare Advantage plans, which…
UnitedHealth’s Andrew Witty gets no pity in Congress
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
STAT+: Medicare official says breakthrough device reimbursement rule coming in early summer
WASHINGTON — A federal rule aiming to make reimbursement for breakthrough devices easier is slated…
STAT+: Elevance’s private equity deal will form $4 billion primary care company
These days, the surefire way to get ahead in health insurance is to become a…
STAT+: UnitedHealth reaffirms financial outlook despite up to $1.6 billion hit from Change Healthcare cyberattack
Hospitals and medical groups say they’re still reeling from the effects of the cyberattack on…
AskBio CSO steps down, has new project in stealth mode
Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get…
STAT+: MassMutual is rolling out free genetic testing for members, a dicey area for life insurers
One of the country’s biggest life insurers is venturing into genetic testing, an area that’s…
HCA’s charity care filings are on hyperdrive
You’re reading the web version of Health Care Inc., STAT’s weekly newsletter following the flow of money…
STAT+: Biden administration sticks with slight cuts to 2025 Medicare Advantage payments
Over the past few weeks, Medicare Advantage insurers demanded that the Biden administration give them…
STAT+: UnitedHealth’s surprising new target: Struggling Steward’s physician group
UnitedHealth Group has gobbled up physician practices at an astounding rate — roughly 20,000 last…
STAT+: Medicare Advantage insurers pressure Biden administration for bigger payments
The public will soon find out whether the federal government is willing to meet the…
STAT+: UnitedHealth appears to be upping loan offers to providers, after Change cyberattack
UnitedHealth Group appears to be offering some providers more substantial loans in the wake of…
STAT+: Medicare couldn’t cover Wegovy for weight loss. But now that it’s also a heart drug, the door is open
WASHINGTON — Novo Nordisk’s newly won permission to market the heart benefits of its obesity drug…
STAT+: UnitedHealth is on a buying spree of outpatient surgery centers
UnitedHealth Group quietly acquired dozens of outpatient facilities in 2023, with a particular focus on…
STAT+: UnitedHealth gives timeline for Change restoration: payments up by late next week
Change Healthcare’s parent company said it’ll have its electronic payment function up and running by…
STAT+: Large insurers say up to one-quarter of claims run through Change Healthcare
Some of the country’s biggest health insurers said Tuesday that up to one-quarter of their…
STAT+: Explaining Change Healthcare and the gravity of its cyberattack
The cyberattack on Change Healthcare has fractured the country’s health care payment infrastructure. But it…
STAT+: Medicare is a tricky market for telehealth companies. Why is Talkspace betting on it?
Over the last few years, virtual mental health company Talkspace has been on a relentless…
STAT+: Change Healthcare cyber attack outage could persist for weeks, UnitedHealth Group executive implies
The outage caused by the Change Healthcare cyberattack could last weeks, a top UnitedHealth executive…
Opinion: Medicare Advantage is bad for patients and bad for investors
In 2023, enrollment in Medicare Advantage, the version of Medicare run by private insurers, surpassed…
STAT+: Experts say scale of Change cyberattack shows risk of centralized claims processing
Change Healthcare’s recent cyberattack has hospitals, doctors’ offices, and pharmacies across the country reeling as…
Opinion: How Medicare leaves Puerto Ricans behind
When I accompany my father to his regular cardiologist appointment in Puerto Rico, worry and…