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Monday, March 30, 2015

United Health Care, Network Squeezes, Henry Ford System, End of California Children Health Insurance Program , Reid will never give up, SGR Fix, 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare

THIS MORNING'S TOP HEALTHCARE NEWS

UnitedHealth to buy Catamaran in $12.8 billion deal
UnitedHealth Group has agreed to buy Catamaran Corp., a publicly traded pharmacy benefits manager, for almost $12.8 billion in cash.  READ MORE

Network squeeze: Controversies continue over narrow health plans
Narrow-network health plans have grown in popularity, particularly on the ACA's insurance exchanges, because their cheaper premiums appeal to price-sensitive consumers, but there is significant consumer and provider dissatisfaction with how many of these plans are organized. READ MORE

Then









And Now


Henry Ford Health System CEO Nancy Schlichting explains why the Detroit-based integrated system is doing well even as hospital admissions fall.  READ MORE



GOVERNMENT

End of CHIP will spell fewer benefits, higher costs
If the Children's Health Insurance Program ended, children affected would still be able to get most, but not all, of the coverage options they have with CHIP if they buy a plan from an insurance exchange, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.  READ MORE

Retiring Harry Reid vows to keep fighting to preserve his landmark healthcare law

Working closely with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi five years ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid achieved a treasured goal that had eluded Democratic leaders since Franklin Delano Roosevelt—enactment of a national health insurance program expanding coverage to most Americans.  READ MORE

FINANCE

Editorial: The SGR fix helps the value-based care evolution
The incentives in the permanent “doc-fix” legislation, which now has overwhelming bipartisan support from both houses of Congress and the president, will not, by themselves, drive physicians toward value-based compensation schemes.  READ MORE

SAFETY & QUALITY

FDA's Hamburg, on her way out, blasts bill aimed at speeding innovation
Outgoing FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, in what she said was her final public address in the post, expressed serious concerns about patient harm that could occur because of the 21st Century Cures Act circulating on Capitol Hill.  READ MORE

PEOPLE

DaVita CFO announces departure
Garry Menzel, who joined the Denver-based company in September 2013, is leaving to return to the biopharmaceutical industry.  READ MORE

SPOTLIGHT

Nominations sought for 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare
Nominations are now being accepted for Modern Healthcare's annual ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare. Entries will be accepted from all sectors of the industry throughApril 17. Find out more and nominate someone today.  READ MORE



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