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:

Democrats home in on opioid crisis in bashing proposed Medicaid cuts

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price defended the White House’s proposed cuts to Medicaid in its 2018 budget blueprint before a pair of congressional committees on Thursday, parrying blows from Democrats furious over spending reductions they say President Trump pledged on the campaign trail never to approve. StatNews. June 8, 2017

If Insurance Market Crashes, Can Lawmakers Put The Pieces Back Together?

In his high-stakes strategy to overhaul the federal health law, President Donald Trump is threatening to upend the individual health insurance market with several key policies. But if the market actually breaks, could anyone put it back together again?

Kaiser Health News. June 8, 2017

Anthem Will Exit Health Insurance Exchange in Ohio

Anthem, one of the nation’s largest insurers and a major player in the individual insurance market created by the federal health care law, announced Tuesday that it would stop offering policies in the Ohio marketplace next year. NYTimes. June 6, 2017

Feds To Waive Penalties For Some Who Signed Up Late For Medicare

Each year, thousands of Americans miss their deadline to enroll in Medicare, and federal officials and consumer advocates worry that many of them mistakenly think they don’t need to sign up because they have purchased insurance on the health law’s marketplaces. That decision can leave them facing a lifetime of enrollment penalties. Kaiser Health News. June 6, 2017

VA to adopt new electronic health records system in bid to improve care

Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said Monday the department will be overhauling its electronic health records, adopting a commercial product used by the Pentagon that he hopes will improve care for veterans and reduce wait times for medical appointments.

Stat News.  June 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.