Big Loopholes in Hospital Charity Care Programs Mean Patients Still Get Stuck With the Tab
Quinn Cochran-Zipp went to the emergency room three times with severe abdominal pain before doctors…
Big Loopholes in Hospital Charity Care Programs Mean Patients Still Get Stuck With the Tab
Quinn Cochran-Zipp went to the emergency room three times with severe abdominal pain before doctors figured out she had early-stage cancer in the germ cells of her right ovary. After emergency surgery four years ago, the Greeley, Colorado, lab technician is cancer-free. The two hospitals that treated Cochran-Zipp at the time determined that she qualified…
As Trump Punts on Medical Debt, Battle Over Patient Protections Moves to States
With the Trump administration scaling back federal efforts to protect Americans from medical bills they can’t pay, advocates for patients and consumers have shifted their work to contain the nation’s medical debt problem to state Capitols. Despite progress in some mostly blue states this year, however, recent setbacks in more conservative legislatures underscore the persistent…
AI Will Soon Have a Say in Approving or Denying Medicare Treatments
Taking a page from the private insurance industry’s playbook, the Trump administration will launch a program next year to find out how much money an artificial intelligence algorithm could save the federal government by denying care to Medicare patients. The pilot program, designed to weed out wasteful, “low-value” services, amounts to a federal expansion of…
AmplifyMD Snags $20M to Help Hospitals Scale Virtual Specialty Care
AmplifyMD raised a $20 million Series B round for its AI-driven virtual specialty care platform and physician network. Memorial Hermann Health System, both a customer and investor, uses the platform to fill specialty gaps and improve workflows. The post AmplifyMD Snags $20M to Help Hospitals Scale Virtual Specialty Care appeared first on MedCity News.
WTW: Half of Employers Exceeded Their Healthcare Budgets in 2024
A new WTW survey reveals that over half of employers exceeded their healthcare budgets in 2024 and expect rising costs to continue, prompting a shift toward cost-containment strategies, vendor accountability, AI adoption and alternative plan designs. The post WTW: Half of Employers Exceeded Their Healthcare Budgets in 2024 appeared first on MedCity News.
People with Medicare Will Face Higher Costs for Some Orphan Drugs Due to Changes in the New Tax and Budget Law
This brief analyzes changes in the new tax and budget reconciliation law that modify which drugs will be selected for Medicare drug price negotiation, which will lead to higher Medicare spending and higher costs for beneficiaries who take these medications.
UniQure Gene Therapy’s Clinical Trial Results Keep It on Path to Become First Huntington’s Treatment
UniQure plans a first quarter 2026 FDA submission for AMT-130 as a treatment for Huntington’s disease. This gene therapy delivers microRNA designed to silence the mutated gene that produces a protein driving this disorder, which so far has no FDA-approved therapies. The post UniQure Gene Therapy’s Clinical Trial Results Keep It on Path to Become…
Tracking State Actions on Vaccine Policy and Access
With recent federal actions to curtail vaccine access, many states have announced actions intended to maintain broader access. This issue brief provides a snapshot of this rapidly changing landscape, tracking which states have instituted changes in response to or in anticipation of administration policy changes.
Healthcare’s Security Awakening Testing Patience of Medical Device Buyers
Customers are no longer willing to accept vague assurances about security. Instead, they expect evidence of secure design, documented vulnerability management processes, and transparency about software components. The post Healthcare’s Security Awakening Testing Patience of Medical Device Buyers appeared first on MedCity News.
How Much and Why Premiums are Going up for Small Businesses in 2026
This analysis of preliminary rate filings from 318 insurers across all 50 states and DC finds that small businesses with Affordable Care Act (ACA)-compliant plans could face a median premium increase of 11% for 2026.
