Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Doctors In Massachusetts Decry Nurses' Strike During Pandemic
The Boston Globe: Doctors At Saint Vincent Hospital Call On Baker To Intervene In Nurses’ Strike
Five doctors who run departments at Saint Vincent Hospital are calling on Governor Charlie Baker to intervene in the months-long dispute between the Worcester hospital and the union representing hundreds of nurses who have been on strike since March. The physicians issued a letter to the governor on Wednesday criticizing the Massachusetts Nurses Association for “falsely claiming a need for ‘safe staffing’” at the hospital and for going on strike in the midst of a pandemic. (Stoico, 8/12)
In other health care industry news —
Modern Healthcare: U.S. Chamber Sues HHS To Block Insurer Price Transparency Rule
A prominent business group is suing HHS and other federal agencies over new price transparency regulations that apply to health insurers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce argues in a lawsuit filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler division that new rules under the so-called Transparency in Coverage Rule are both unlawful and overly burdensome, and urges a judge to throw them out. The lawsuit lists a number of federal agencies defendants, including HHS, CMS, the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. (Bannow, 8/12)
Modern Healthcare: ProMedica Can Exclude McLaren St. Luke's From Its Provider Network, Court Rules
ProMedica won a court fight over excluding an Ohio hospital from its insurance subsidiary's provider network Tuesday. The federal court ruling means its insurer Paramount does not have to accept McLaren St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, into its network. The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati vacated a preliminary injunction that forced Paramount to keep St. Luke's in its health plans in December. Paramount removed McLarenSt. Luke's from its network after the hospital merged with Grand Blanc, Michigan-based McLaren Health Care. McLaren St. Luke's subsequently filed an antitrust case against Paramount and ProMedica. (Christ, 8/12)
Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth Affiliates To Pay $15.6M To Settle Mental Health Parity Lawsuits
United Healthcare Insurance Co. and United Behavioral Health will pay more than $15.6 million to settle allegations that the companies violated the federal mental health parity law by overly restricting mental health coverage and reimbursement, the U.S. Labor Department and New York Attorney General's Office announced Thursday. The companies will pay $13.6 million to up to 135,000 patients who were wrongfully denied coverage or were overcharged for treatment since at least 2013. They also will pay nearly $2.1 million in penalties to settle private litigation and investigations by the Labor Department and New York Attorney General. (Kacik, 8/12)
