Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Surging Healthcare Costs Fueling Americans' Fury With Insurers, Analyst Says
The New York Times: Outrage At UnitedHealth And Other Insurers Persists After Brian Thompson Killing
The murder of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare executive, in late 2024 unearthed a torrent of public outrage against the health insurance industry. And since then, Americans’ anger has solidified into deep mistrust of the companies. Much of the current dissatisfaction stems from rising economic concerns: More and more people cannot afford the increasing costs of insurance premiums and medical bills. (Abelson, 8/14)
AP: Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty In Killing Of UnitedHealthcare CEO
Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting matter-of-factly that he trailed the executive to an investor conference and gunned him down on a New York City street in 2024. Mangione, 28, said he made a gun with the aid of a 3D printer, traveled to New York and used a ruse — posing as an investor at a multibillion-dollar firm — to contact the company for details on the event. (Sisak, Neumeister and Peltz, 8/14)
In other health industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Hospital Mergers, Acquisitions Grow As Providers Seek Relief
Providers are seeing consolidation as a way to weather financial headwinds and keep their doors open. Merger and acquisition activity has risen over the past several years — and 2026 has been no exception. The increase in dealmaking comes as operating and supply costs continue to rise while reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid decrease. Recent cuts to Medicaid and an increase in the uninsured population are expected to exacerbate the issue. (DeSilva, 8/14)
Modern Healthcare: Why CMS’ Medicaid 1115 Waiver Pullback Matters To Providers
Federal regulators are chipping away at a weedy, but critical, Medicaid tool that could have significant financial implications for providers and states. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is paring down policies enacted via what are known as Medicaid 1115 waivers as it narrows the program to align with President Donald Trump’s fiscal and ideological goals. The changes could increase enrollee churn, undercut finances for providers, drive up administrative costs and leave states less able to innovate, experts said. (Early, 8/15)
Modern Healthcare: Providence Health Plan To Wind Down After Medicare Deal Fails
Providence Health Plan will seek to wind down its operations after failing to sell its Medicare Advantage business. The insurance division of the Renton, Washington-based nonprofit health system in May said it would exit the commercial and Medicaid markets in 2027, but that it hoped to partner with a national carrier to continue its Medicare Advantage plans. Providence Health Plan and the national insurance company were unable to agree on a deal, a Providence spokesperson said in a Friday statement. The spokesperson declined to specify which national insurer had been interested in operating its Medicare Advantage business. (Tepper, 8/14)
Healthcare technology —
Modern Healthcare: Epic UGM 2026: Here's What To Know About The Annual Meeting
Thousands of Epic Systems’ customers will convene at the electronic health record vendor’s highly anticipated Users Group Meeting next week in Verona, Wisconsin. The company will host more than 20,000 attendees, including representatives from health systems, health plans and tech vendors. Innovations in artificial intelligence and interoperability are some of the event’s main areas of focus, according to an Epic spokesperson. The event runs Monday through Thursday. (Famakinwa, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal: AI Is Helping Patients Solve Medical Mysteries
Patients with rare diseases often spend five years or more searching for a diagnosis. Now artificial intelligence is helping some get answers faster. Rachel Hinken long wondered why her son, Oliver, seemed to be missing key growth milestones, including speech and walking delays. He consistently tracked between the zero and first percentile for height. At age 10, he wasn’t more than 4 feet tall. Doctors said he was fine. He would catch up. Hinken wasn’t convinced. (Janin, 8/15)
The loss of a medical pioneer —
AP: Tommy John, Pioneer Of Elbow Surgery And MLB Pitcher With 288 Wins, Dead At 83
Tommy John, who won 288 games during a 26-year big league career and became the first pitcher to successfully return following groundbreaking elbow surgery that later was named after him, has died. He was 83. He died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday night, agent Mike Maguire said Sunday. He had been in hospice care. (Harris, 8/16)
