Health insurance companies, providers, and millions of policyholders would suffer significant disruptions if President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats fail to extend the enhanced subsidies that drove record enrollment on the health insurance exchanges. The extra financial assistance, temporarily enacted as part of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will disappear at year’s end without legislative action. Lower enrollment […]
CHARLESTON, S.C. — An old, brick house in Charleston’s Wagener Terrace district stands out from its gentrified neighbors in several ways: It’s 14,000 square feet, built to accommodate around 30 people, and was constructed 90 years ago to provide shelter for pregnant girls. It still does just that. Pregnant teenagers with few options, often escaping dangerous living situations, come here […]
President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, the latest development in the pandemic that continues to cast a shadow over his presidency. Here are five takeaways: Biden’s age is the biggest risk factor Even though he is up to date on his vaccines, including two boosters, Biden is 79 years old. While deaths from COVID-19 are much lower now […]
On Thursday, retail and tech giant Amazon made its next move into healthcare, announcing an agreement to acquire primary care provider One Medical in a deal valued at about $3.9 billion. Experts say the deal will help Amazon diversify its healthcare division, signaling that the company has entered the sector for the long haul. But they believe it still is […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its first ever home- and community-based services (HCBS) quality measures Thursday. The agency said the measures will promote “consistent quality measurement within and across state Medicaid HCBS programs” and are a “critical step to promoting health equity among the millions of older adults and people with disabilities who need LTSS.” The […]
Three Democratic lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and Thursday as President Biden announced his own positive test results. Sens. Tina Smith (Minn.) and Tom Carper (Del.) and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) announced their diagnoses over Twitter. “Tonight I tested positive for COVID and am experiencing mild symptoms,” Smith tweeted on Wednesday evening. “I am following [Centers for Disease […]
The Department of Justice has charged 36 telemedicine providers and executives across the country, as well as medical equipment companies, for participating in a fraud scheme that involved ordering unnecessary genetic testing in exchange for illegal kickbacks. The charges involve some of the first cases in the country involving fraudulent cardiovascular genetic testing, a “burgeoning scheme,” according to a news […]
CVS Health is asking pharmacists in some states to verify that a few of the prescriptions they provide will not be used end a pregnancy. A spokesman said Thursday that the drugstore chain recently started doing this for methotrexate and misoprostol, two drugs used in medication abortions but also to treat other conditions. Spokesman Mike DeAngelis said the policy started […]
The risk cyberthreats pose to healthcare organizations has never been greater. In 2021, the industry saw an all-time high in the number of data breaches reported (679) and the number of individuals affected (45 million), according to an analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. IBM’s “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021” indicated that […]
Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) announced plans on Wednesday to acquire the primary care provider One Medical (Nasdaq: ONEM) for a price tag of $3.9 billion. Once the acquisition closes, it will give Amazon a large primary care capability to potentially pair with its growing home-based care business, Amazon Care. Originally launched in 2019 as part of a pilot with Amazon’s Seattle-based […]