Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
15% Of Adults Were Uninsured In 2019, New CDC Report Finds
AP: Even Before Pandemic Struck, More US Adults Were Uninsured
About 2.5 million more working-age Americans were uninsured last year, even before the coronavirus pandemic struck, according to a government report issued Wednesday. The study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 14.5% of adults ages 18 to 64 were uninsured in 2019, a statistically significant increase from 2018, when 13.3% lacked coverage. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/30)
In other health industry news —
FierceHealthcare: UnitedHealthcare Teams With St. Luke To Create New Commercial Narrow Network Plan
UnitedHealthcare partnered with St. Luke’s Health System and Children’s Mercy in Kansas City to create a new narrow network commercial plan intended to offer a cheaper option. The plan would only provide care at the St. Luke system that includes 18 hospitals and 130 physician offices and the children’s hospital. (King, 9/29)
Houston Chronicle: Two Years After Cutoff Amid Patient Deaths, St. Luke's Heart Transplants Again Funded By Medicare
The storied but tarnished heart transplant program at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center is again receiving Medicare funding, roughly two years after the federal agency cut it off following an unusually high rate of patient deaths. In a letter made public Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services informed St. Luke’s leadership that the program has been approved for participation effective Aug. 25. That is the date CMS surveyors concluded an inspection of the program that found no deficiencies. (Ackerman, 9/30)
Modern Healthcare: Why Molina Is On A Medicaid Plan Buying Spree
Molina Healthcare is on a roll. The health insurer announced plans Tuesday to buy Affinity Health Plan, a small Medicaid company in New York, which would mark the fifth acquisition deal that Molina has disclosed this year. The Long Beach, Calif.-based Medicaid giant will pay $380 million in cash for nearly all of the assets of Affinity, which serves about 284,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in six New York counties and brings in annual premium revenue of $1.3 billion. Molina expects the deal to close in the second quarter of next year, following approval from regulators. (Livingston, 9/29)
Houston Chronicle: Nurse Navigator To Give Patients Extra Resource During Cancer Treatment At St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital
With the addition of a new nurse navigator, patients at the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital will have one more resource to count on as they navigate treatment. Jessica Miller, who also operates as the clinical nurse for the center, started in her new role in March. (Swinnerton, 9/30)
Becker's Hospital Review: Baptist Hospitals CEO To Retire
David Parmer is retiring as CEO of Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas in Beaumont, hospital officials announced on Twitter Sept. 29. Mr. Parmer will helm the organization through June 30 and then serve in an advisory role, the officials said. (Gooch, 9/29)
