WASHINGTON—The cost of medical care in the United States is expected to grow at a faster clip over the next decade and overall health spending growth will outpace that of the gross domestic product, a U.S. government health agency said on Wednesday. A report by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) cited…
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U.S. Senate Confirms Rep. Price as Health Secretary
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate voted on Friday to confirm Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) as the top U.S. healthcare official, putting a determined opponent of Obamacare in position to help President Donald Trump dismantle the healthcare law. The Senate voted 52-47 to approve the conservative congressman and orthopedic surgeon as secretary of the Department…
U.S. Court Blocks Anthem-Cigna Deal
(Reuters)—A federal judge on Wednesday ruled against U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc.’s proposed $54 billion merger with smaller rival Cigna Corp, derailing an unprecedented effort to consolidate the country’s health insurance industry. The U.S. Department of Justice sued in July to stop Anthem’s purchase of Cigna, a deal that would have created the largest U.S….
Trump May Not Enforce Individual Health Insurance Mandate
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The Trump administration may no longer enforce a rule requiring individual Americans to carry health insurance or pay a penalty if they do not, a senior White House official said on Sunday Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” program, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, said President Donald Trump “may stop enforcing the individual mandate.”…
U.S. Democrats Seek Trump’s Cooperation on Drug Price Reform
NEW YORK (Reuters)—A group of Democratic senators took their plans to tackle rising drug costs to President-Elect Donald Trump on Tuesday, asking him to work with them and Republicans on the issue. In a letter dated Tuesday, the 19 senators named five areas for cooperation: allowing the Medicare program to negotiate prescription prices, increasing transparency,…
Benchmark 2017 Healthcare.gov Premiums Up 25%
(Reuters)—The average premium for benchmark 2017 Obamacare insurance plans sold on Healthcare.gov rose 25% compared with 2016, according to the U.S. government on Monday, the biggest increase since the insurance first went on sale in 2013 for the following year. The average monthly premium for the benchmark plan is rising to $302 from $242 in…
The Impact of U.S. Supreme Court Decisions on Medical Affairs, Healthcare Policy
As America’s capital, Washington, D.C., maintains an outsized influence in our daily lives. Despite having a meager sliver of the New York City population, the daily political transactions that transpire in the District of Columbia impact our lives. The comings and goings in the corridors of Congress are likely to have a greater impact on us…
HCA Says Insurance Exchange Enrollment Encouraging So Far
(Reuters)—The chief executive of HCA Holdings Inc. on Monday said he expects the Affordable Care Act to drive more growth for the U.S. hospital operator in 2016 as Americans sign up for insurance coverage through exchanges created under the law. “We are very encouraged by the open enrollment results so far,” R. Milton Johnson, CEO…
Healthcare Investors Brace for Busy Week as U.S. Conference Kicks Off
(Reuters)—Healthcare investors can expect a volatile week starting on Monday when the sector’s biggest financial event hits San Francisco. The annual JP Morgan healthcare conference, in which many healthcare companies present product and financial news to would-be investors, has been credited for helping the January out-performance of the healthcare sector in recent years. But after…
Looking Back on Rheumatology in 2015, Leaping Forward to the Year Ahead
My dear friends, we come to praise Caesar. As we march toward 2016, we ought to acknowledge the great Roman emperor’s role in creating a proper calendar. At the start of Caesar’s reign, the calendar year lasted 355 days, 10¼ days fewer than the time it took the earth to fully orbit the sun.1 Although…