Last Friday, the Congressional Budget Office published its projections on the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund (HI) financial position and found that the balance will be exhausted by 2040.
The CBO estimates that the balance will increase through...
Arizona has joined a coalition of states suing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over changes to the federal childhood immunization schedule and the restructuring of the government’s vaccine advisory panel.
The lawsuit , which also names as plaintiffs Health & Human Services and Jayanta Bhattacharya from the Centers for Disease Control...
Medicare Advantage has hit a rough patch. Across the board, insurers are cutting plans in unprofitable markets, contracting benefits and now implementing new requirements in order to curb usage. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is only adding to the market's trouble by issuing notice that rates will remain the same in...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lost another recent leadership appointment this week when Deputy Secretary General Ralph Abraham abruptly resigned.
Abraham was appointed in December and served as second-in-command at the agency for just three months. According to NBC News, the reason cited was "unforseen family...National News
Released this week, the State Medicaid and CHIP Toolkit for Children's Behavioral Health Services and the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) Requirements was built in response to the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which focused on states' implementation of EPSDT obligations.
The Georgetown University...Arizona News
Last Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver ordered the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry's (ADCRR) prison healthcare system into receivership following 14 years of protracted litigation.
The litigation has included two contempt findings, millions of dollars in fines and repeated violations of a...
The Republican-led Arizona legislature has sent a number of politically-loaded healthcare-related bills to Governor Katie Hobbs's desk so far this session, and may deliver more in the coming weeks.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed nine bills on Friday, one of which would have required hospitals that accept Medicaid to request...
The effort, branded the Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare initiative, or CRUSH, was introduced at the White House by Vice President J.D. Vance, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz as part of a broader strategy aimed...Arizona News
This month, Madison Health Group announced it plans to acquire Magellan Health from Centene, roughly five years after Centene bought the company for $2.2 billion. The transaction, pending regulatory approval, would return Magellan to independent ownership under a private equity sponsor amid increased scrutiny of behavioral health...
Nearly 787,000 Arizona beneficiaries began 2026 enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA), according to CMS January enrollment files — only a modest increase from roughly 780,058 enrollees in June 2025. The muted membership gain suggests growth may be slowing in a national and local market that this year remains flat at about 51%...
Leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been shaken up once again as Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's deputy secretary and acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Jim O'Neill recently left the administration.
On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that the White House and...Arizona News
A Phoenix-area family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Abrazo Health Arrowhead, alleging hospital staff discharged their 27-year-old son and transported him alone via rideshare to a downtown Phoenix location where he collapsed and died hours later, according to local reporting.
The lawsuit claims Kaelen Lachica, who had...
The 2026 Arizona Legislative Session is in full swing and healthcare industry advocates are working with lawmakers to prioritize bills that expand access to care, invest in Arizona and
The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA), which represents hospitals and health systems, provided testimony on HB 2176 to the House...
This week, international insurance and healthcare consulting firm Milliman published its annual white paper on the state of the Medicare Advantage industry.
The annual paper relies on proprietary analysis called the Milliman Medicare Advantage Competitive Value Added Tool (MACVAT®), which evaluates the relative value of Medicare...CMS Rules
New policies from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are disrupting rural health clinics' participation in value-based payment models. But a new study shows that while federal programs have increased patient access and quality of care, they have thus far failed to curb rising costs.
When the Trump administration entered...
This week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its ten-year budget and economic outlook, which warned of Social Security insolvency, rising Medicaid spending and record high debt and deficits.
Deficits will exceed $3 trillion by 2036, totaling $24.4 trillion over the next decade and debt will reach 120% of Gross Domestic...
While most insurers are downsizing their Medicare Advantage market presence, Humana is doubling down and acquiring healthcare services to support its expanding network.
Last week, Humana's CenterWell Senior Primary Care, a value-based care provider, completed the acquisition of MaxHealth from Arsenal Capital Partners (Arsenal), a...National News
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agreed to end a pilot program for a 340B Drug Pricing Program rebate model. This week, the agency is reportedly exploring the possibility of launching another model with the same premise.
The HHS Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the pilot program...News
Late last week, the White House announced the launch of TrumpRx.gov, a website that implements President Donald Trump's Most Favored Nation drug pricing policy to offer drugs to American consumers at lower prices.
As many as two-thirds of Americans report rising healthcare costs as a major financial concern, and the Trump...
As the measles outbreak continue to peak, public pressure is rising as the Trump administration stumbles to adequately respond.
Lsat year, cases reached a 34-year high and the spread is continuing at pace this year. NBC News reports that in the first full week of the new year, 279 new cases were reported and to date more than 700...
The brief suggests Medicare Advantage (MA) plans could be directed to be more precise about how they will serve people living with dementia through their models of care (MOCs). Authors recommend states require dual-eligible, special needs plans (D-SNPs) to meet the needs of their members with dementia and said government agencies could...National News
Three national insurers delivered earnings this week that, when taken together, sketch a market still adjusting to higher medical cost trends and shifting program economics.
Humana’s update centers squarely on Medicare Advantage (MA). The company reported fourth-quarter revenue of $32.5 billion and full-year revenue of $129.7...Arizona News
Brett Bingham is a nationally recognized Arizona healthcare executive who currently serves as the chief network development officer for Banner Plans & Networks and president of several Banner networks. He holds accountability for provider network strategy, growth, and performance across multiple lines of business and 35,000...
Flagstaff residents and seasonal summer visitors should not expect a new hospital anytime soon, according to an update this week from Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH), which reaffirmed the region’s need for additional hospital capacity but said it cannot yet announce a site or construction timeline.
The update follows a difficult...
National recognition of Arizona-based physicians continues to underscore the state’s growing appeal as a destination for highly specialized clinical talent. Phoenix Children’s announced that Dannah Raz, MD, MPH, the pediatric health system's division chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics, has been named to Modern...
CMS Rules
