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: 

They Got Estimates Before Surgery — And A Bill After That Was 50% More

Before scheduling his hernia surgery, Wolfgang Balzer called the hospital, the surgeon and the anesthesiologist to get estimates for how much the procedure would cost. But when his bill came, the estimates he had obtained were wildly off.

Kaiser Health News

Friday, August 30, 2019

Health insurers slam CMS proposal to alter Medicare Advantage audits

Health insurers and their industry trade groups this week urged the federal government to scrap proposed changes to the way it audits Medicare Advantage plans, warning the changes could result in higher costs and reduced benefits for seniors.

Modern Healthcare

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Medicare Part D paid millions for drugs already covered by Part A hospice benefits

Despite a previous warning, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services failed to take steps to ensure the Medicare Part D program does not also pay for medicines that should be covered under the Medicare Part A hospice benefit, resulting in an estimated $161 million in duplicate payments in 2016, according to a new federal government analysis.

Stat News

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Administration ends protection for migrant medical care

The Trump administration has eliminated a protection that lets immigrants remain in the country and avoid deportation while they or their relatives receive life-saving medical treatments or endure other hardships, immigration officials said in letters issued to families this month.

AP News

Monday, August 26, 2019

Judge Cites Opioid ‘Menace,’ Awards Oklahoma $572M In Landmark Case

An Oklahoma judge has ruled that drugmaker Johnson & Johnson helped ignite the state’s opioid crisis by deceptively marketing painkillers and must pay $572 million to the state.

Kaiser Health News

Monday, August 26, 2019

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.