Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Black-Serving' Hospitals Get Less In Reimbursements, Medicare Data Show
Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Serving Black Patients Get Less Financial Help, Study Shows
Hospitals serving a higher proportion of Black patients receive less financial support for providing care compared with those serving a lower proportion, according to a recent study from physician-researchers at the University of California Los Angeles and Princeton, Johns Hopkins and Harvard universities. (Hudson, 8/3)
In other news about Medicare costs and coverage —
Modern Healthcare: HCSC Doubles Down On Medicare Advantage As Market Share Declines
Health Care Service Corp. plans to expand its Medicare Advantage business into another 150 counties next year as the insurer seeks to gain a foothold in an increasingly competitive market for private Medicare plans. (Tepper, 8/3)
Axios: How Companies Are Shaking Up How We Pay For Old Drugs
Starting today, prostate cancer patients taking a prescription drug called abiraterone will pay what could be thousands of dollars less a month for a generic version from a company called CivicaScript. (Reed, 8/3)
In Medicaid news —
AP: Judge: West Virginia Medicaid Must Cover Transgender Care
West Virginia’s Medicaid program must provide coverage for gender-confirming care for transgender residents, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Chuck Chambers in Huntington made the ruling Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by LGBTQ interest group Lambda Legal over treatments for gender dysphoria. Chambers said the Medicaid exclusion discriminated on the basis of sex and transgender status and violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment, the Affordable Care Act and the Medicaid Act. (Raby, 8/3)
Stat: Lilly Ordered To Pay $61M For Shortchanging Medicaid Drug Rebate Program
After nearly a decade of legal squabbling, Eli Lilly was ordered by a federal court jury to pay $61 million for shortchanging the Medicaid drug rebate program, the latest instance in which a drug company was accused of skimping on payments. (Silverman, 8/3)
