Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospital Destroyed By Hurricane Katrina Will Get New Life As Research Hub
The Washington Post: New Orleans Hospital Destroyed By Katrina To Be Reborn As A Science Hub
On Tuesday, Tulane leaders announced they would lead a sweeping redevelopment of Charity Hospital, investing $500 million to restore the massive structure and turn it into a hub for research, education, spin-offs and start-ups. (Svrluga, 6/24)
More healthcare industry developments —
MedPage Today: Hundreds Of Physicians, Other Clinicians At Banner Health File To Unionize
More than 240 physicians and advanced practice providers from dozens of Banner Health locations throughout the Phoenix area have filed to unionize. The effort comes as clinicians have expressed concerns about patient panel sizes, staffing levels, and scheduling practices, which have gone unaddressed, leaving them "worried about patient safety, continuity of care, and increasing administrative burdens," the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) said in announcing the filing. (Henderson, 6/23)
Chicago Tribune: Workers To Strike At 6 Illinois Prime Healthcare Hospitals
Skilled maintenance workers at six Prime Healthcare hospitals in Illinois plan to go on strike July 2, with their union alleging that Prime has interfered with their right to organize and bargain collectively. (Schencker, 6/23)
Modern Healthcare: CHOP CEO Madeline Bell To Retire Oct. 1
Madeline Bell will step down as CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Oct. 1 after nearly 40 years at the health system, including the last 11 years at the helm. Dr. Joseph Mitchell, who joined CHOP as president in April 2025, will add the title of CEO upon Bell’s retirement, the system said Tuesday. He has worked in leadership roles in healthcare for more than 20 years. Before joining the system, he was executive vice president at Boston Children’s Hospital and president of special hospital Franciscan Children’s. (6/23)
KFF Health News: Even In Blue States, Hospitals Have Continued To Drop Gender-Affirming Care For Youths
One afternoon in late 2024, a sixth-grader nicknamed Bug came home from school with an announcement to make. Bug, who was assigned female at birth, told his parents he was a boy — and would be using he/him pronouns. “OK, cool,” his mother, J, remembered saying. (J asked to be identified by only her first initial, and Bug by his nickname, because the family fears harassment.) “‘What do you need to be supported?’” she recalled asking next. “He asked to get healthcare.” (Brown, 6/24)
On health costs and coverage —
Modern Healthcare: Why 2027 ACA Exchange Premiums Are Set For A Double-Digit Increase
Health insurance companies are preparing another round of big premium hikes for the exchanges, preliminary filings to state regulators show. While the proposed rate increases aren’t as large as what Affordable Care Act of 2010 exchange users encountered this year, they still will stress an already shaky market and may further shrink enrollment. Insurers cite factors such as broad economic uncertainty, heightened costs for hospital care and pharmaceuticals, higher spending on out-of-network claims, and provider consolidation to justify heftier premiums. (Tepper, 6/23)
Modern Healthcare: Elevance Health Exits Ohio Small-Group ACA Insurance Market
Elevance Health is leaving the small-group Affordable Care Act exchanges market in Ohio at the end of the year. The company, operating under the Anthem brand in the state, will redirect resources toward different products such as Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements and level-funded plans, a spokesperson said in a Tuesday statement. Smaller employers share risk under a MEWA, while employers in a level-funded plan pay a fixed monthly fee. (Tong, 6/23)
In related news —
AP: Philanthropic Donations Hit $617B In 2025, Says Giving USA 2026
In a year marked by economic uncertainty and political turbulence, philanthropic donations rose last year, according to an authoritative annual report on American giving. Donors gave U.S. charities $617 billion in 2025, an inflation-adjusted 3% increase over last year, according to “Giving USA 2026: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2025.” Bequests last year jumped by nearly 17%, the third year of the last four to clock double-digit increases in this form of giving. The trend could signal the beginning of the long predicted Great Wealth Transfer — in which baby boomers begin passing their enormous wealth to their children and charities. (Childress, 6/23)
