Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FTC To Refund Consumers Who Bought Fake Health Plans From Benefytt
CBS News: FTC To Send Nearly $100 Million In Refunds To Customers Of Benefytt's Fake Health Plans
The Federal Trade Commission is sending refunds to consumers it says bought into fake health plans falsely marketed by Benefytt Technologies as comprehensive health insurance or an Obamacare plan under the Affordable Care Act. Benefytt, operating under various names such as Health Insurance Innovations, used aggressive marketing and fraudulent websites in a scheme to lure consumers in search of health insurance into buying bogus policies with high monthly fees, according to the FTC's August 2022 complaint. (Lee, 3/19)
Bloomberg: UnitedHealth, Mount Sinai Deal Preserves Access To NY Doctors
UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Mount Sinai Health System agreed to a new multiyear contract that will prevent thousands of New Yorkers from losing access to their in-network doctors. The agreement reached Tuesday immediately restores access to the health system’s hospitals for people with employer-sponsored and individual plans, including the Oxford Health Plan, according to a statement on the UnitedHealth website. (Denham, 3/20)
The Boston Globe: As Their Private-Equity Firm Owners Look To Sell, The Future Of Two Safety-Net Hospitals In R.I. Is At Stake
For the last decade, workers at two cash-strapped safety-net hospitals in Rhode Island have been trying to care for thousands of patients while answering to an out-of-state, private-equity firm owner with a history of failing to pay the bills. Now, they’re faced with a new kind of pressure: figuring out whether being purchased by a private foundation will make matters better, or worse. Hospitals owned by private-equity firms are struggling nationwide as the companies prioritize profits over patients. (Gagosz, 3/19)
The Boston Globe: Centurion Foundation Was The ‘Only Viable’ Buyer For Roger Williams, Fatima Hospitals, CEO Says
While standing in front of a packed room of hospital workers and executives, CharterCARE chief executive Jeffrey H. Liebman said that when the two hospitals he leads in Rhode Island went up for sale, there was only one organization that came forward that could take them over. The Centurion Foundation “was the only viable candidate,” said Liebman during a public information meeting on Tuesday night at Rhode Island College regarding the sale of Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, which are managed by CharterCARE Health Partners. (Gagosz, 3/19)
Modern Healthcare: Centene, Clover Health, Other Insurers Retreat From ACO REACH
Health insurers are pulling back from an accountable care organization pilot program intended to reduce costs for fee-for-service Medicare enrollees amid a surprise spike in medical costs and unfavorable regulatory changes. Alignment Health, Centene and NeueHealth scaled back their participation in ACO REACH this year, while companies such as Cityblock Health and Clover Health withdrew from the model altogether. (Tepper, 3/19)
Stat: Health AI Adoption Puts Security, Privacy Startups On Investors' Radar
Investors are starting to back startups that offer privacy and security services to bolster health AI products already on the market while they wait for crucial safety and privacy regulations to take shape. (Ravindranath, 3/18)
The New York Times: The Unbearable Vagueness Of Medical ‘Professionalism’
When Joel Bervell thought about professionalism as an undergrad, he thought of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Specifically, he thought about how residents on the show were expected to be, although often were not: on time, prepared for their cases and respectful to everyone around them. “That was the only standard that I had of what it meant to be a doctor — especially someone like me, who doesn’t come from a family of doctors,” said Mr. Bervell, 28, a fourth-year medical student at Washington State University. Mr. Bervell, who is Ghanaian American, is one of the first Black medical students at the medical college, which opened in 2017. (Gross, 3/19)
