Good news at last! health insurers lose money and take heat from Congress

This is “Do Not Resuscitate (This System”) #346 for May 3, 2024, in which I review the latest news about how we spend trillions of dollars making intermediaries rich instead of making ourselves healthier. This week, we can cheer at long last over a few items:  Oregon is taking concrete steps toward eliminating commercial health insurance while California is tinkering with some sort of price cap on medical costs. On Capitol Hill, the steady trend of increased concentration of the healthcare sector came under congressional scrutiny, and a big insurer’s stock price suddenly tanked. What’s not to like? 

My full weekly written digest is available at <nypan.org/single-payer-news> as well as the archive going back 6 years. You can also get my digest straight to your inbox by writing me at tfrasca@yahoo.com

Here are all the links to the articles mentioned in the podcast. 

John Canham-Clyne, “California, Oregon eye universal health coverage,” Healthcare Dive, Apr 24, 2024 https://bit.ly/4dgPRsH

Adam Beam, “New California rule aims to limit health care cost increases to 3% annually,” Associated Press, Apr 24, 2024 https://bit.ly/44jdflh

John Tozzi & Riley Griffin, “UnitedHealth CEO defends Change Healthcare deal after hack,” Bloomberg, Apr 16, 2024 https://bloom.bg/4dbTIai

Paige Minemyer, “‘Too big to fail’: Consolidation concerns loom over hearing on Change Healthcare cyberattack,” Fierce Healthcare, May 1, 2024 https://bit.ly/44plyfg

Paige Minemyer, “CVS stock tumbles as Medicare Advantage pressures drag Q1 results,” Fierce Healthcare, May 1, 2024 https://bit.ly/3wnbhDR

D. Lipshutz, “Wall Street Journal editorial board’s love letter to Medicare Advantage ignores wasteful overpayments,” Center for Medicare Advocacy, May 2, 2024 https://bit.ly/4bh1Lkg

Tom Murphy, “J&J to pump another $13B into its MedTech business with Shockwave deal,” Associated Press, Apr 5, 2024 https://bit.ly/3JFzng1

Julie Steenhuysen, “Alzheimer’s drug adoption in US slowed by doctors’ skepticism,” Reuters, Apr 23, 2024 https://reut.rs/3UefKAs

[no byline] Brazil opens insulin-producing plant,” MercoPress, Apr 27, 2024 https://bit.ly/3UCyyej

Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Erin McLaughlin & Jason Kane, “How one state is trying to make weight loss drugs cheaper,” NBC News, Apr 24, 2024 https://nbcnews.to/4def4nH

Linda Searing, “Some 11% of U.S. children have been diagnosed with ADHD,” Washington Post, Apr 22, 2024 https://wapo.st/3WvJT1f

Robert Freedman, “FTC noncompete ban risks blowing up private equity deals,” Legal Dive, Apr 25, 2024 https://bit.ly/3JDPo62

Patrick M. Rucker & David Armstrong, “A doctor at Cigna said her bosses pressured her to review patients’ cases too quickly. Cigna threatened to fire her,” ProPublica, Apr 29, 2024 https://bit.ly/3WlMSsH

Anna Claire Vollers, “You’ve covered your copayment; now brace yourself for the ‘facility fee,’” Stateline, Apr 25, 2024 https://bit.ly/4dkromc

Michelle Crouch & Charlotte Ledger, “The rise of mega-hospitals,” Charlotte Ledger/North Carolina Health News, Apr 22, 2024 https://bit.ly/3UFsrWy