Report: Top Health Insurers Not So Transparent On Negotiated Prices
An analysis shows that UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Cigna only partially disclosed price data, despite federal rules requiring full disclosure. The worry is that this could harm the nation's employers when it comes time to choose workplace coverage. Plus: CMS' new Medicare payment model focuses on digital health, chronic conditions, and prior authorizations.
Axios:
Big Insurers Provide Incomplete Transparency Data: Study
Three of the nation's biggest health insurers have provided an incomplete picture of their negotiated prices in transparency data that's required by federal rules, according to a new analysis. The partial disclosures by UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Cigna could leave employers in the dark when shopping for workplace coverage, per the analysis in the American Journal of Managed Care. (Goldman, 12/11)
Modern Healthcare:
New CMS Payment Model Funds Nonconventional Health Interventions
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will devote about $100 million to support chronic disease initiatives for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries, the agency announced Thursday. The Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence, or MAHA ELEVATE. MAHA ELEVATE is the latest in a slew of new payment models from CMS, joining others focused on digital health, chronic conditions and prior authorizations. (Early, 12/11)
The CT Mirror:
CT Officials Approve HHC Purchase Of 2 Prospect Hospitals
The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy on Wednesday evening approved an $86.1 million deal for Hartford HealthCare to purchase Manchester Memorial and Rockville General, two struggling hospitals owned by bankrupt hospital operator, Prospect Medical Holdings. (Golvala, 12/11)
Modern Healthcare:
Highmark Health, BCBS Kansas City Propose Affiliation Plan
Highmark Health has proposed an affiliation with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City that would give it a foothold outside the East Coast for the first time. Operationally, the proposed deal resembles an acquisition, except that no cash will change hands. Together, the nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers would cover 8.1 million commercial, Medicaid and Medicare members across six states. (Tepper, 12/11)
Iowa Public Radio:
UnityPoint Nurses Await Results Of Union Vote As Ballots Are Challenged
This week, UnityPoint nurses in Des Moines voted on whether to form a union, but the results are still undetermined after hundreds of ballots were challenged for their validity. Following the vote on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, 871 UnityPoint nurses voted for the union, while 666 voted against it. However, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which is leading the unionization effort, said they are challenging the validity of another 251 ballots. This means the results of the election will be undetermined until the National Labor Relations Board can review the challenged ballots to see if they should be counted. (Krebs, 12/11)
Modern Healthcare:
How This Adventist Hospital Improved Its Leapfrog Safety Grades
Adventist Health Specialty Bakersfield earned an “A” in The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Grade report in the fall of 2023, several months after the system bought the California facility. ... Identifying and correcting the issues that caused the slumping performance demonstrates the challenges executives face at a time of industry consolidation and what can fall by the wayside as a new facility is brought into the fold. (DeSilva, 12/11)
Also —
Stat:
A Promising Method For Suicide Prevention Starts In The Doctor’s Office
Over the last two decades, the suicide rate in America has increased by 30%. During that time, suicide prevention measures like gun safety bills have failed to gain political traction at a national level, and cuts to Medicaid funding have threatened access to mental health care. But in recent years, an approach known as “Zero Suicide,” which focuses on using the health care system as a first line of defense, has gained financial and empirical support. (Rockeman, 12/12)
If you need help —
Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.
