Friday Five: Top 5 healthcare business news items from the MCOL Weekend edition

Every business day, MCOL posts feature stories making news on the business of health care. Here are five we think are particularly important for this week:

Tom Price Is Confirmed as Health Secretary

The New York Times reports: The Senate early Friday approved the nomination of Representative Tom Price to be secretary of health and human services, putting him in charge of President Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

The New York Times

Friday, February 10, 2017

Obama’s Drug Czar: The Opioid Crisis Must Continue To Be A Federal Priority

Kaiser Health News reports: The GOP is working to repeal and replace the 2010 health law, known for insuring more than 20 million people. And the change could affect another health concern: the nation’s opioid abuse problem.

Kaiser Health News

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Judge, Citing Harm To Customers, Blocks $48 Billion Anthem-Cigna Merger

The New York Times reports: The ruling, by Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, came two weeks after another federal judge blocked a proposed $37 billion merger between Aetna and Humana on antitrust grounds. Judge Jackson wrote in her order that she found the Justice Department’s arguments against the deal persuasive, and that putting Anthem and Cigna together would harm customers.

NY Times

Thursday, February 9, 2017

How Would Republican Plans for Medicaid Block Grants Actually Work?

The New York Times reports: There are only so many ways to cut Medicaid spending. You can reduce the number of people covered. You can reduce the benefit coverage. You can also pay less for those benefits and get doctors and hospitals to accept less in reimbursement. Or you can ask beneficiaries to pay more.

NY Times

Monday, February 6, 2017

Trump Says Health Law Replacement May Not Be Ready Until Next Year

The New York Times reports: President Trump said in an interview that aired on Sunday that a replacement health care law was not likely to be ready until either the end of this year or in 2018, a major shift from promises by both him and Republican leaders to repeal and replace the law as soon as possible.

NY Times

Sunday, February 5, 2017

These and more weekly news items on the business of healthcare are featured in the MCOL Weekend edition, along with the MCOL Tidbits, and more, for MCOL Premium level members.