Jeff Lagasse

Author's posts

Hawaii tops list of 10 best states for healthcare

Hawaii ranks number one overall among all U.S. states when it comes to healthcare, according to new rankings by U.S. News and World Report.

Hospital Insurance Trust Fund extended 5 years to 2036

It’s now projected that the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will be able to pay 100% of total scheduled benefits until 2036, five years later than reported last year, finds an annual Medicare Trustee report.
At that point, the fund’s reserves will become…

Nurses see little improvement in 2024, survey finds

At 80%, a significant majority of nurses think 2024 will be either no better or worse for them  than 2023, according to a new survey by AMN Healthcare.
Forty-two percent said 2024 will be the same for nurses as 2023 and 38% said it will be worse, while…

States show significant variation in Medicaid redeterminations

There’s significant variation among states when it comes to the ongoing Medicaid disenrollment process. A new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation analysis has found that while enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) decline…

Final rule expands healthcare access to DACA recipients

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has finalized a rule expanding healthcare access for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, with the goal of ensuring they’ll no longer be…

University of Kansas Health System acquires Missouri hospital

For an undisclosed sum, The University of Kansas Health System has acquired Liberty Hospital in Liberty, Missouri, the health system’s first expansion into that state, with the definitive agreement signed this week.
Liberty Hospital’s decision to becom…

CDC: Hospitals no longer required to report COVID-19 data

Beginning Wednesday, hospitals are no longer required to report COVID-19 hospital admissions, hospital capacity, or hospital occupancy data to the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

HHS strengthens disability discrimination protections

A new rule prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability has been finalized by the Department of Health and Human Services, through its Office of Civil Rights, and seeks to advance equity and boost protections for people with disabilities under…

More Medicare enrollees are choosing supplement plans, data shows

The share of fee-for-service Medicare enrollees choosing a Medicare Supplement plan rose to 41.4% in 2022, increasing for the fifth consecutive year, according to findings from a new AHIP report.
The new report describes the various types of Medicare S…

CVS acquires Medicare Advantage broker Hella Health

CVS Health has acquired New York-based Medicare Advantage broker Hella Health for an undisclosed sum, according to a LinkedIn post by Hella Health founder and CEO Rafal Walkiewicz.