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HHS announces a record number of healthcare workforce awards in rural and underserved communities
The Biden Administration, through the Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded a historically high number of health workforce loan repayment and scholarship programs due to a new $1.5 billion investment, including $1 billion in supplemental…
Newly expanded supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage grew 43% for 2022
Medicare Advantage plans offering at least one newly-expanded supplemental benefit rose 43% from the 2021 to the ’22 coverage year, finds new analysis from the Better Medicare Alliance.
Private equity ownership of nursing homes linked to lower quality, higher Medicare costs
Nursing homes acquired by private equity companies saw an increase in emergency room visits and hospitalizations among long-stay residents and an uptick in Medicare costs, according to a new study from Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings…
Biden Administration secures 10 million courses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral antiviral medicine
The Biden White House said today that, at a cost of more than $5 billion, it has secured 10 million treatment courses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral antiviral drug, contingent on emergency use authorization or approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administra…
Highmark Health President and CEO David Holmberg named chair of AHIP board
AHIP’s Board of Directors has elected HighMark Health President and CEO David Holmberg its new board chair, effective January 1, 2022. Holmberg will take the helm from Bruce Broussard, president and CEO of Humana, who is serving as AHIP Board Chair thr…
Biden Administration is requiring insurers, health plans to report on prescription drug costs
In an interim final rule, the Biden Administration is now requiring private insurers to report prescription drug costs, as well as key data, to the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury.
It’s the fourth rule in a series that the …
Washington loses 2% of healthcare workforce to vaccine mandate
The state of Washington has lost 2% of its healthcare workforce since mandating that all hospital and nursing home staff receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to the Washington State Hospital Association.
While the state hates to see healthcare staff de…
Dartmouth-Hitchcock virtual self-care program receives $30K Cigna sponsorship
The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Aging Resource Center has received a sponsorship from the health insurance provider Cigna for a program intended to support the well-being of unpaid caregivers.
The Self-Care Sampler for Family Care Partners virtual program is …
National Kaiser Permanente workers’ strike avoided with tentative agreement
On Saturday, Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Health Care Unions reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract, covering nearly 50,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare employees in 22 local unions, thereby avoiding a potential nationwide strik…
Medicare Part B premiums are increasing by 14.5%
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has increased Medicare Part B premiums, deductibles and coinsurance for next year in what will be a significant hike.
The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $170.10 for 2022, an…
