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: A Health Plan ‘Down Payment’ Is One Way States Try Retooling Individual Mandate As President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans tirelessly try to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a number of states are scrambling to enact laws that safeguard its central provisions. Kaiser Health News Friday, March 9, 2018 US to Idaho: ‘State-based’ health plans don’t pass muster Idaho’s move to let companies offer health insurance plans that don’t meet Affordable Care Act standards is illegal, U.S. officials said Thursday. AP News Friday, March 9, 2018 Cigna Bets on Getting Bigger as Rising Costs Vex Health Business Under pressure to tame ever-increasing health-care costs, the companies that help millions of Americans manage their medical care are wagering that they can be stronger and simpler by joining forces. Bloomberg Thursday, March 8, 2018 Amazon Offers Discount Prime Membership to Medicaid Recipients Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it was expanding its discounted Prime membership offer to Medicaid members, the U.S. government's health insurance program for the poor. The New York Times Wednesday, March 7, 2018 UnitedHealthcare to share drug rebates with 7M members; the Trump administration approves, says HHS' Alex Azar UnitedHealthcare will offer drug rebates directly to some of its members, a move that comes as payers and pharmaceutical companies fight over who's to blame for rising drug prices. Beginning in 2019, UnitedHealthcare will expand its pharmacy discounts to about 7 million enrollees who are in fully insured commercial group plans, the insurer announced. Fierce Healthcare Tuesday, March 6, 2018 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.