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Medicare Part B spent $1.5B on COVID-19 tests in 2020
Medicare Part B spending on laboratory tests ticked up to $8 billion in 2020, driven largely by new COVID-19 diagnostics reimbursements, even while spending on other types of tests declined, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of …
New Medicaid option promotes enhanced mental health, says HHS
The Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has unveiled a new option for supporting community-based mobile crisis intervention services for those with Medicaid. Authorized under the American Res…
Saint Vincent Hospital nurses end longest strike in Massachusetts history
Nurses at Worcester, Massachusetts-based Saint Vincent Hospital ratified a new contract Monday ending the longest strike in Massachusetts history at 301 days, which clears the path for the hospital to begin recalling nurses to provide care to patients …
HHS: Protections against surprise medical bills implemented at dawn of new year
As 2022 gets underway, new federal protections against surprise medical bills have gone into effect, which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has said will shield consumers from bills from out-of-network providers, facilities and ambulanc…
FDA expands use of Pfizer vaccine, green-lights boosters for children 12-15
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has officially authorized Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 booster shots for children 12-to-15-years old, the agency revealed on Monday.
AHA asks UnitedHealthcare to rescind revised policy on emergency coverage
UnitedHealthcare recently announced it would move forward with new coverage criteria for emergency-level care, which went into effect January 1, and this has drawn the ire of the American Hospital Association, which is urging UHC to rescind the policy….
Racial, ethnic disparities persist in hospital mortality for COVID-19 patients, others
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hispanic Medicare patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were more likely to die than non-Hispanic white Medicare beneficiaries, according to a study led by researchers from the Department of Health Care Policy in the Blavatn…
13.6 million people now covered by ACA plans, with a month to go
The open enrollment period in 2021 is outpacing all previous years in terms of enrollment, with a historic high of more than 13.6 million people already enrolled in health insurance coverage for 2022 through HealthCare.gov and state-based marketplaces …
FDA authorizes COVID-19 pills from Pfizer and Merck
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorizations for Pfizer and Merck’s antiviral COVID-19 pills.
The FDA gave emergency use authorization to Pfizer’s pill on Wednesday and announced the Merck approval today.
Omicron variant not convincing unvaccinated people to get the COVID-19 shot
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is the latest variant of concern in the global fight against the disease, but attitudes differ wildly about it – especially when it comes to vaccinated vs. unvaccinated individuals.
