Payer

CMS issued a final rule April 5 that updates Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug programs to increase seniors' telehealth benefits.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized "Medicare for All" proposals while speaking to hospital leaders at the American Hospital Association's conference April 9, according to The Hill.

Health insurer Centene has pledged $100 million to Washington University in St. Louis to advance research on personalized treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's, breast cancer, diabetes and obesity.

The federal judge reviewing an agreement between the government and CVS Health, which allowed the pharmacy chain to purchase Aetna, said April 5 he wants to hold a hearing for opponents of the deal, according to Reuters.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas will open 10 advanced primary care medical centers in Dallas and Houston under a partnership with global primary care provider Sanitas.

About 128,000 children in Tennessee, or 1 in 8, have lost health insurance during the last two years, according to NPR.

When a Pennsylvania woman required a partial foot amputation to stop a sepsis infection from spreading, she found the surgeon required an upfront payment — and the woman's "skimpy" health plan denied coverage for the procedure, according to The Inquirer.

Short-term health plans, once largely banned by the ACA, have expanded under the Trump administration and brought with them familiar stories of patients being denied coverage because of preexisting conditions, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A California consumer watchdog group is urging state lawmakers to address a bill that may allow health insurance companies to bypass some privacy laws, according to Insurance Business America.

Here are four articles recently published by Becker's Hospital Review on "Medicare for All" proposals: