Do Not Resuscitate (This System) #343 Apr 12 2024

This week I get into the weeds on private equity's infiltration of the healthcare sector as well as the newly discovered backbone among Federal regulators in dealing with runaway costs of for-profit Medicare insurers under Medicare (dis)Advantage. Plenty of news about different ways we are being scammed and tricked, the failure of the Oregon drug decriminalization experiment, but also that state's successful experiment with hospital price caps. Lots to learn about. Here is the site for the full written digest and back archive <nypan.org/single-payer-news> and here is how to get my digest direct to your inbox <tfrasca@yahoo.com> Below are all the links to the articles mentioned: 

Dave Muoio, “Senator probes private equity, physician staffing firms for emergency care cost cutting,” Fierce Healthcare, Apr 2, 2024 https://bit.ly/3UcbSBq

Chris Hamby, “In battle over health care costs, private equity plays both sides,” New York Times, Apr 7, 2024 https://nyti.ms/4aunlC3

Bob Herman, “Biden administration sticks with slight cuts to 2025 Medicare Advantage payments,” STAT, Apr 1, 2024 https://bit.ly/3VRrCeq and Rebecca Pifer, “Biden administration finalizes modest cut to 2025 Medicare Advantage rates,” Healthcare Dive, Apr 2, 2024 https://bit.ly/3JcrSgf

D. Lipschutz, “CMS holds the line against insurance industry pressure, but plans remain significantly overpaid,” Center for Medicare Advocacy, Apr 4, 2024 https://bit.ly/3UeS4xn

Rebecca Pifer, “CMS caps broker payments in Medicare Advantage,” Healthcare Dive, Apr 8, 2024 https://bit.ly/43PGKeh

Caitlin Owens, “Hospital and insurer battles over Medicare Advantage set to grow,” Axios, Apr 4, 2024 https://bit.ly/3W2lgZs

Tony Pugh, “Rural hospitals seek help as private Medicare patients increase,” Bloomberg Law, Apr 3, 2024 https://bit.ly/3vL89RY

Berkeley Lovelace Jr., “Will Medicare raise your monthly premiums to cover Wegovy?” NBC News, April 2, 2024 https://nbcnews.to/3vLIQPw

Suzanne Blake, “Medicare recipients lose thousands to ‘phantom billing,’” Newsweek, Apr 1, 2024 https://bit.ly/4aPPH9G

Sydney Halleman, “One year, 19M disenrollments: A look at Medicaid redeterminations so far,” Healthcare Dive, Apr 2, 2024 https://bit.ly/4awEyKY

Noah Weiland, “For red state holdouts like Kansas, is expanding Medicaid within reach?” New York Times, Apr 3, 2024 https://nyti.ms/4apWOpm

Annalisa Merelli, “Medicaid redetermination cost community health centers an average of $600K each,” STAT, Apr 8, 2024 https://bit.ly/3UdqHU9

Julie Appleby, “ACA plans are being switched without enrollees’ OK,” KFF Health News/NPR, Apr 2, 2024 https://bit.ly/49ssE3v

Cecilia Nowell, “Rapid rise in syphilis hits Native Americans in the Southwest hardest,” Source NM/KFF Health News, Mar 26, 2024 https://bit.ly/4cNmfD7

Lev Facher, “Rigid rules at methadone clinics are jeopardizing patients’ path to recovery from opioid addiction,” STAT, Mar 12, 2024 https://bit.ly/3Udthtj

Mike Baker, “Oregon is recriminalizing drugs. Here’s what Portland learned,” New York Times, Apr 1, 2024 https://nyti.ms/3VSLDB2

Roslyn Murray & Andrew Ryan, “Hospital care costs are out of control. Price caps can help,” STAT, Apr 4, 2024 https://bit.ly/3PZ2VsO