Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bright Health Pulls Insurance, Medicare Advantage Plans From 9 States
Modern Healthcare: Bright Health To End Insurance, Medicare Advantage Plans In 9 States
The affected states are Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, North Carolina, Texas and Tennessee. Bright Health, which in April announced plans to exit six other markets, said the move will reduce costs and free up about $250 million after settling medical liabilities. The insurtech company has sought to exit expensive markets as the COVID-19 pandemic drove up medical costs for members gained during the special enrollment period. (Hudson, 10/11)
How are children's hospitals faring? —
Stat: As Large Health Systems Bleed Money, Children’s Hospitals Are Faring Well
Children’s hospitals were spared from the worst ravages of the pandemic, putting them in a much stronger financial position than their acute-care peers. (Bannow, 10/11)
The New York Times: As Hospitals Close Children’s Units, Where Does That Leave Lachlan?
It was Lachlan Rutledge’s sixth birthday, but as he mustered a laborious breath and blew out one candle, it was his mother who made a wish: for a pediatric hospital bed in northeast Oklahoma. The kindergartner has a connective tissue disorder, severe allergies and asthma. Those conditions repeatedly landed him in the pediatric intensive care unit at Ascension St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, with collapsed veins and oxygen levels so low, he was unresponsive to his mother’s voice. (Baumgaertner, 10/11)
In other health care industry news —
Crain's Detroit Business: Beaumont-Spectrum Rebrands As Corewell Health
Michigan's largest in-state health system finally has a permanent name: Corewell Health. The announcement comes more than 8 months after the merger of Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health. The two systems merged on Feb. 1 after announcing the intent to merge more than a year ago. The two entities previously operated under the BHSH parent company while maintaining the Spectrum and Beaumont names on hospitals. (Walsh, 10/11)
Axios: Brookdale Could Be Private Equity's Next Nursing Home Test
Private equity's reputation when it comes to nursing home ownership is on par with bed bugs, with President Biden even devoting a few withering lines of his most recent State of the Union address to chastise the relationship. (Primack, 10/11)
Noticias Telemundo for Axios: Latinos Living In "Pulmonology Deserts" Must Drive Hours For Care
Latinos in many communities in the Southwest live in "pulmonology deserts" and have to drive up to 14 hours to access care, a new study found. (Franco, 10/11)
KHN: Climate Change Magnifies Health Impacts Of Wildfire Smoke In Care Deserts
Smoke began billowing into the skies of northwestern Nevada in September, clouding the mountains, dimming the sun — and quashing residents’ hopes that they would be spared from wildfires and the awful air quality the blazes produce. The lung-irritating particles were blowing in from burning forests in California and settling in Douglas County, Nevada, home to nearly 50,000 people, prompting warnings that air quality had reached hazardous levels. (Appleby and Orozco Rodriguez, 10/12)
And Thailand is hoping to boost its medical tourism —
Bloomberg: Thailand Plans $131 Million Phuket Medical Hub To Boost Tourism
Thailand’s government approved development of a 5 billion baht ($131 million) international medical hub in Phuket, with the aim of expanding health- and wellness-related tourism on the country’s largest island. (Sangwongwanich, 10/11)
