Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Your Funky New Office 'Wellness' Push May Not Be Achieving Much: Study
The New York Times: Workplace Wellness Programs Have Little Benefit, Study Finds
Employee mental health services have become a billion-dollar industry. New hires, once they have found the restrooms and enrolled in 401(k) plans, are presented with a panoply of digital wellness solutions, mindfulness seminars, massage classes, resilience workshops, coaching sessions and sleep apps. These programs are a point of pride for forward-thinking human resource departments, evidence that employers care about their workers. But a British researcher who analyzed survey responses from 46,336 workers at companies that offered such programs found that people who participated in them were no better off than colleagues who did not. (Barry, 1/15)
In hospital and insurance news —
Modern Healthcare: CarePoint Health, Hudson Regional Hospital To Form Hudson Health
CarePoint Health and Hudson Regional Hospital have signed a letter of intent to form a new healthcare system—Hudson Health. The new system in New Jersey would include CarePoint’s Bayonne Medical Center, Christ Hospital in Jersey City, Hoboken University Medical Center and Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus. (DeSilva, 1/12)
Houston Chronicle: TCEQ Approves Permit For Concrete Crusher Near LBJ Hospital
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said his office plans to take legal action after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved a permit for a concrete crushing facility near LBJ Hospital, officials said Friday. ... The project has faced intense pushback from community leaders, state lawmakers and county hospital officials who say the presence of dust and other pollutants will endanger already vulnerable patients and residents. (Gill, 1/12)
AP: UnitedHealth Shares Tumble After Health Care Giant Reports Soaring Medical Costs In 4Q
UnitedHealth Group turned in a better-than-expected fourth quarter but surprised Wall Street with medical costs that soared 16%. Shares of UnitedHealth and other major health care and insurance providers slipped Friday after the company announced results. Health insurers dealt with rising medical costs for much of last year. UnitedHealth has said claims jumped from its Medicare Advantage business as more seniors got heart and orthopedic outpatient procedures. (Murphy, 1/12)
Axios: Health Industry Reignites Debate Over Mandatory Payment Experiments
The health care industry is again grappling with how aggressively to push providers into payment arrangements that hold them financially accountable for delivering better and more efficient care after the debate was largely put on hold during the pandemic. (Goldman, 1/16)
Bloomberg: Hospitals Are Back To The Municipal-Bond Market As Labor Costs Ease
Hospitals are returning to the municipal-bond market as they aim to pivot from survival to revival. So far this year, hospitals are tapping the market with more than $1.7 billion to expand and upgrade facilities, according to data compiled by Bloomberg as of Jan. 12. That figure outpaces $390.7 million of issuance by hospitals last January. (Coleman-Lochner, 1/12)
KFF Health News: Federal Program To Save Rural Hospitals Feels ‘Growing Pains’
Folks in this Mississippi River town hope a new federal program can revive the optimism engraved long ago in a plaque on the side of their hospital. “Dedicated to the Future of Health Care in the Tri-State Area,” the sign declares. “May 11, 1981.” More recent placards posted at the facility’s entryways are ominous, however. “Closed,” they say. “No Trespassing.” The Keokuk hospital, which served rural areas of Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, closed in October 2022. But new owners plan to reopen the hospital with the help of a new federal payment system. The Rural Emergency Hospital program guarantees hospitals extra cash if they provide emergency and outpatient services but end inpatient care. (Tribble and Leys, 1/16)
KFF Health News: Mary Lou Retton’s Explanation Of Health Insurance Takes Some Somersaults
The gold-medal gymnast’s explanation of why she remained uninsured has health policy experts doing mental gymnastics — because it makes little sense. (Appleby, 1/12)
On health care workers —
Stat: Independent Physicians Launch A New Lobbying Group
Private equity gets a bad rap in health care. But some doctors see that kind of cash and consolidation as the only way for their practices to survive — and now, they’re taking that message to Washington. (Trang, 1/16)
Stat: Why Doctors Need Education On FDA Device Approval Process
In her final presentation for health policy class at the University of Chicago, first-year medical student Robin Ji informed her classmates that the Food and Drug Administration does not require randomized controlled trials of most medical devices. Her peers’ immediate reaction was disbelief. (Lawrence, 1/16)
Also —
Reuters: Record Budget For Gates Foundation As Wider Global Health Funding Stalls
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation plans to spend more this year than ever before -- $8.6 billion -- as wider health funding for the lowest income countries stutters after the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 budget agreed by the foundation’s board is up 4% on last year and $2 billion more than in 2021.In a statement, the foundation said global health budgets were in decline overall and contributions to health in the lowest-income countries were stalling. (Rigby, 1/15)
