Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Insurers Pledge To Trim Prior Authorization Process Over 18 Months
The Washington Post: Insurers Vow To Make Prior Authorization For Treatment Easier
Major health insurers are promising to ease up on a cost-controlling practice long hated by doctors and patients for making it harder to get quick and efficient care. Several dozen insurers — including insurance giants UnitedHealthcare, Elevance, Aetna, Cigna and Kaiser Permanente — announced Monday that they will make this practice, known as “prior authorization,” more efficient and transparent over the next 18 months. (Cunningham, 6/23)
ABC News: Aflac Says Cyberattack Breach Could Expose Personal Data Of Customers
A group of cybercriminals hacked into data systems at insurance company Aflac, possibly gaining access to sensitive information such as Social Security numbers and health reports, the company said on Friday. Aflac, which boasts millions of customers, “identified suspicious activity” and “stopped the intrusion within hours,” the company said. The company attributed the attack to a “sophisticated cybercrime group” but did not identify the organization. (Zahn, 6/20)
On gun violence in the health care industry —
CBS News: In The Shooting Of An Indiana Kidney Doctor, Fresh Echoes Of The UnitedHealthcare Murder And The Specter Of Vigilante Violence
Dr. Andre Obua drove 18 hours from Miami to Terre Haute, Indiana. He pulled up to the home of a local kidney specialist and allegedly opened fire, striking the kidney doctor in the hand before being wrestled to the ground. The only thing more unexpected than the act of violence was the apparent motive. Accused in the shooting, which occurred one month after the brazen murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in New York City, was Obua, a highly educated medical resident with a promising career. But Obua had become fixated on one of the least-understood corners in the big business of medicine -- kidney dialysis. (Moriarty, Aviv, Samu, Gold and Mosk, 6/22)
ABC News: Prosecutors Trying To 'Bias' The Public Against Luigi Mangione, Defense Says
Prosecutors at the Manhattan district attorney's office intentionally violated Luigi Mangione's right to a fair trial by unnecessarily releasing his handwritten journal entries to "bias" the public, defense attorneys said in a new court filing. Prosecutors included the writings in a filing earlier this month that was meant to justify the filing of murder charges with a terrorism enhancement. One excerpt said, "I finally feel confident about what I will do. The details are coming together. And I don't feel any doubt about whether it's right/justified. I'm glad in a way that I've procrastinated bc it allowed me to learn more about UHC." (Katersky, 6/20)
AP: GOP Tax Bill Would Ease Regulations On Gun Silencers
The massive tax and spending cuts package that President Donald Trump wants on his desk by July 4 would loosen regulations on gun silencers and certain types of rifles and shotguns, advancing a longtime priority of the gun industry as Republican leaders in the House and Senate try to win enough votes to pass the bill. The guns provision was first requested in the House by Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican gun store owner who had initially opposed the larger tax package. The House bill would remove silencers — called “suppressors” by the gun industry — from a 1930s law that regulates firearms that are considered the most dangerous, eliminating a $200 tax while removing a layer of background checks. (Jalonick, 6/23)
