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A new analysis found that the U.S. spends the most on healthcare but has a lower life expectancy compared to other wealthy countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association wants Congress to pass legislation that will expand site-neutral payment reforms in a bid to cut costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CMMI aims to release in 2023 three to four new models focusing on advanced primary care and a model enabling states to take on total costs of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher levels of insurance coverage haven't eased affordability concerns among a majority of Americans, a new survey found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private insurance plans paid hospitals on average 224% more compared with Medicare rates for both inpatient and outpatient services in 2020, a new study found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seniors save nearly $2,000 on average a year in total healthcare spending in Medicare Advantage (MA) compared to fee-for-service Medicare, a new study finds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JPMorgan Chase is partnering with healthcare startup Vera Health Whole to test the company's services for some of its employees. t's part of the company's effort to reduce healthcare costs—JPMorgan spends roughly $2 billion a year on employee healthcare—and better manage employees' chronic conditions, JPMorgan chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon said. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

President Biden has admitted that a massive $2 trillion healthcare and social spending bill likely will not make it through Congress by Christmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new study estimates Medicare Advantage adds $32.5 billion a year in value to the federal government thanks to additional benefits and cost-sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New data show that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were less likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 compared to beneficiaries on traditional Medicare participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The head of CMMI shared that the center wants to largely move away from value-based care payment models that focus on specific episodes of care and specialty groups, opting instead for a more total cost of care approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new analysis found that beneficiaries pay far more out-of-pocket for dental and hearing benefits compared to vision care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The federal government spent $7 billion more on Medicare Advantage plans than for traditional Medicare, according to a new analysis that arrives as the White House is exploring ways to cut spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most insurers are starting to pull back on waivers that covered the cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatments as profits have declined and healthcare use rebounds, a new analysis finds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new study found a stark divide in where healthcare dollars are spent, with white Americans getting a disproportionate amount of money in 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biden outlined a bold agenda to tackle drug prices, directing Congress to give Medicare wide authority to negotiate lower prices with drugmakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major cyberattack that disrupted care cost Scripps Health nearly $113 million in lost revenue and additional costs, the San Diego-based system reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug utilization tools like prior authorization or formulary controls cost the healthcare industry more than $90 billion a year, a new study finds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New bipartisan legislation aims to remove the cost-sharing requirement for Medicare beneficiaries who want chronic care management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new analysis found that nearly half of Medicare beneficiaries in 2019 didn't have any dental coverage as Congress is considering adding dental coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MedPAC is recommending Congress change how Medicare Advantage benchmarks are calculated in an attempt to increase savings for the Medicare program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investments in digital health and preparing for the next pandemic are expected to help increase medical costs by up to 6.5% in 2022, a new report found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare spending rebounded in March, growing by 12.5% above March 2020 spending levels that dropped due to the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A booster shot of COVID-19 may be needed to help protect Americans as immunity fades and to protect against variants, a top HHS official told Congress [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biden's first joint address before Congress featured several major healthcare proposals, including lowering ACA deductibles and proposals to lower drug prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New research from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that lowering the Medicare eligibility age could lead to savings for workers and employer plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have shown hospitals had a mixed record on compliance with a major price transparency rule, but experts say CMS has taken more of a wait-and-see approach on enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new report from a federal watchdog raises concerns that hospitals are upcoding Medicare on the most severe inpatient stays after finding Medicare spending has increased from 2014 to 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cap on hospital prices could save between $61 billion and $236 billion a year but would face major pushback from provider groups, a new study from RAND found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of more than 6,000 hospital websites found roughly 2,000 facilities were highly transparent with posting their payer-negotiated rates per a new rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers taking a greater role in their healthcare choices will help to lower healthcare spending over the next two decades, a new report from Deloitte said. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Comprehensive Primary Care Plus model did not generate Medicare savings but did lead to some quality improvements in its first three years, a new report found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare spending increased by 4.6% in 2019 to $3.8 trillion, a growth rate roughly in line with the average rate of 4.5% in place since 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Federal Trade Commission filed a federal lawsuit aimed at halting Memphis, Tennessee-based Methodist Le Bonheur's $250 million bid to buy two Tenet hospitals in the city for fear the deal would increase healthcare costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new AHIP survey found that costs for out-of-network COVID-19 tests have been going up since a July survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new study examines which states got the most money from the federal government to cover testing and treatments for uninsured COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premiums on the Affordable Care Act's exchanges are expected to rise slightly next year, but insurers are still struggling to figure out how COVID-19 will impact healthcare costs, report finds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new CMS report shows that the unsubsidized population on the Affordable Care Act's exchanges declined by 45% over four years, as affordability issues persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annual family premiums for employer-sponsored insurance jumped by 4% this year compared with 2019, but deductible levels remained stable, a survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MedPAC is exploring how to make changes to the benchmarks used to pay Medicare Advantage plans as a way to rein in high spending in the ever-growing program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly half of Americans in a new survey reported either being uninsured or underinsured, an issue that could worsen as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experts say that AI and machine learning could help insurers navigate future surges of healthcare costs that could arise due to the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premier members are stockpiling drugs needed to treat COVID-19 patients as concerns about a second surge of cases grows, a new survey found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senators pressed the Trump administration to put out a plan on how to distribute a vaccine and combat mistrust among the public to vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare costs for employer-sponsored plans are likely to increase in 2021, but it remains unclear by how much due to massive changes prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report finds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 hospitalizations could cost payers as much as $17 billion in 2020, with Medicare and commercial plans on the hook for the most money, a new Avalere analysis found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitals and physicians saw major declines in spending in April, but nursing home and prescription drug spending fared pretty well, an analysis found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimated annual cost for diagnostic testing of COVID-19 will range from $6 billion to $25 billion, and the cost for antibody testing up to $19.1 billion, a new study found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimated costs for treating COVID-19 could add up as much as $547 billion for private insurers from 2020 to 2021 depending on the rate of infection, an updated report found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new survey found that a majority of consumers plan to spend less on healthcare visits or prescription drugs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]