Removing people from the country led to fewer workers and fewer people to buy the goods and services those workers produced. #Unemployment has gone up, not down. #immigration #LaborMarket #economy

PBMs accept the need for more #PriceTransparency. And "it should be applied across the supply chain." #MyOpinion: sounds good to me. #PBM #RxCosts

#ACCESS will explore whether linking #HealthInsurance #payments to #clinical outcomes can facilitate technology in #ChronicDiseaseManagement.

Between 2005 and 2024, #hospital prices rose 61%, while total inpatient days declined 5%. Outpatient visits, by contrast, increased 44%. #MedicalCosts #Healthcare

What are the consequences when eye-watering sums of money are put behind the idea that the purpose of American arts and letters is not wisdom but advocacy? #Humanities #MellonFoundation [Gift Article] buff.ly/cmsAHWl

Not *quite* a #NetworkContract dispute, but it's very close. The accusations are the same -- and so is the way it's playing out in the press. #Alabama #JacksonHospital #BCBSAL

The goal is to supply the office of #immigration litigation with 100 to 200 possible cases per month. By comparison, during President Trump’s entire first term, the administration formally filed a total of 102 such cases. #denaturalization

#PropertyCasualty #insurance premiums in #Florida are about 14.5% lower than what they would have been without #reforms. Those savings have led to an increase in business activity of $4.2 billion and the creation of more than 29,000 jobs. #Regulation #Legislation #WhyItMatters

Florida Blue vs Cleveland Clinic buff.ly/yP3fDg1 #NetworkContractWatch #floridablue #clevelandclinic #florida

#DirectPrimaryCare operates similar to a membership for primary care services, charging a flat rate fee for doctor visits as many times as you want a month, with no insurance needed.

UnitedHealthcare vs New York-Presbyterian buff.ly/oW9ur44 #NetworkContractWatch #unitedhealthcare #newyorkpresbyterian #newyork

The Trump administration says a proposed rule that introduces new types of #HealthInsurance -- including multi-year #catastrophic plans -- will expand consumer choice and lower premiums; critics argue it could instead create more financial risk for patients. #CMS #2027 #Rulemaking

When temperatures plunge, the lives of incarcerated people are put on the line. Frigid showers, worn down clothing, and inadequate heating systems have caused people to die in jail cells that reach reach freezing temperatures in the winter. Warmth shouldn't be a luxury.

#Elevance’s (#Anthem) 9-for-11 record is the first concrete data point on how the settlement is changing competition among #Blues plans, but industry observers say the effects could stretch beyond one selling season. #BCBSA #Competition #SitusState

The new "Break Up Big Medicine Act" bill seeks to fight #VerticalIntegration in #healthcare. #Monopolies #HospitalConsolidation #legislation #bipartisan

The probe adds another layer to the political fight over enhanced #ACA #subsidies, where negotiations to extend the expired credits fell apart in February.

Blog Post: What problem, exactly, does insurance solve? To understand that, it's important to understand risk -- and how it's managed. buff.ly/ESqD2j0 #insurance101 #insurancefoundations

Judson Crawford, CPA and partner at Cain Watters & Associates, shares his insight on key factors that will assist dental practitioners grow their practices in 2026. #2026 #dentist #hygienist #dentalpractice www.cchealthcareintermediary.com/post/4-denta...

Are #physicians feeling threatened? Possibly: they don't want to be called "providers" anymore.

Instead of patients shopping for medical services, it's mostly #HospitalSystems and #HealthCoverage #carriers using the little data there is. #PriceTransparency #ProviderNetworks

Employers and #PBM that violate the #ReportingRules in the new federal pharmacy benefit manager laws could end up owing $10,000-$100,000 in fines per violation per day. #ouch #ButNeeded #RxCosts

The proposed rule, which will be published in the Federal Register on Feb. 11, is accepting public comments through March 11. #CMS #ACA #Rulemaking #HealthCoverage

Age verification? I became a #Trekkie when "Star Trek" ONLY featured Kirk, Spock, and crew. (Though I love the later iterations of it.)

The bill, which had input from the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, would require the creation of a high school course worth 0.5 credit hours in #insurance and #PersonalFinance. #MyOpinion: but would it eliminate burnout from irate calls?

I wish I could say this editorial surprises me. I really wish I could.

The ability to beat back our more routine pathological menaces is a good indicator of the country’s ability to take on bigger, more virulent #threats. #vaccines #NationalSecurity [Gift Article] buff.ly/SF9e7RE

Sharing without further comment, as it speaks for itself. #vaccines

We absolutely need #AI companies to listen to religious voices if the large language models they produce are to reflect a proper understanding of the dignity of the human person.

Although #TrumpRx may offer savings for some cash-paying patients, pricing comparisons suggest most insured Americans are still likely to find lower costs elsewhere. #RxCosts

These moves reflect how scale, capital access and geographic reach are becoming critical advantages in today’s #healthcare landscape. #MergersAcquisitions #HospitalConsolidation

#Cigna has not filed layoff notices with state #WARN program offices, but employees say the company plans to eliminate about 3% of positions. #Layoffs #Buyouts #Carriers

The most common cause for a #ClaimsDenial was administrative issues. Strictly clinical rationales made up, at most, 1% of denials for any #insurer.

Network Contract Watch: UnitedHealthcare vs Integris Health buff.ly/50YZkY5 #unitedhealthcare #integrishealth #oklahoma

A #hospital executive framed the broader environment as a “polycrisis” for #healthcare systems: rising labor costs, supply inflation, and deteriorating government reimbursement, all converging at once. #ProviderContracts #HealthCoverage

Because of course he did. That much is obvious. Why are we just now talking about it? #Epstein

Not really a surprise, given how many #SmallGroup #ACA markets they've been pulling out of in recent years. #Aetna #layoffs

If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff. Democracy dies in oligarchy.

"Most of the hundreds I’ve met with #RestlessLegsSyndrome #RLS cite the name itself as the biggest obstacle to getting care and support. The silliness betrays the seriousness." As someone who's had it since childhood: I can attest.

Network Contract Watch: Cigna vs CommonSpirit Health buff.ly/SVGbwag #cigna #commonspirithealth #georgia #tennessee

More #CON trouble in #NC: a hospital's patients wait more than three times longer than average to begin radiation therapy, yet they still get denied the petition for a #LINAC. #NorthCarolina #CertificateOfNeed #HospitalCompetition #litigation

#ExpressScripts' settlement contains provisions requiring it to work with local pharmacies and disclose #RxCosts to employers annually.

Blog Post: Provider networks aren't failing — they're evolving. Here's a clear look at what’s driving those changes, and what they mean for consumers. buff.ly/HAR20Sj #healthcoverage #managedcare #providernetworks

A nice rundown of the #Healthcare provisions of the government funding extension bill. #HHS #NIH #telehealth #PBM #CDC #PrimaryCare

Network Contract Watch: Blue Shield of California vs Community Medical Centers buff.ly/kvv3YQJ #blueshieldofca #communitymedicalcenters #california

About 43% of the survey participants said they were "very interested" or "extremely interested" in the #ICHRA concept.

#HCA Healthcare continues to grow its #freestanding #EmergencyDepartment and outpatient footprint nationally. #HospitalConsolidation #ProviderConsolidation #Acquisitions

Both full-time and part-time U.S. workers across four subsegments, including corporate and provider services in the benefits operations division, were offered #buyouts. #UnitedHealthcare #Layoffs

Policymakers like it, but insurance professionals are not impressed. Me? I'm wondering why they aren't shoring up #reserves. #CaliforniaFAIRPlan #WildfireInsurance #PropertyCasualty

Random, no-context blurt: my STBX can eat sh!+ and die. #NotExplaining #JustVenting

Managed to get a path cleared down to the bottom step this afternoon. Not too shabby for an old, sometimes-cane-using lady with just a light house broom. #ENCwx #Gianna