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Melanie MacEachern

Freelance writer with skills and knowledge in healthcare policy, reproductive justice and art history. Skilled administrative assistant. Graduated from University of Michigan.

Author's Posts

Arizona's New Memory Care Rules Set to Roll Out July 1

Arizona's New Memory Care Rules Set to Roll Out July 1

Arizona News
Arizona News

COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance Dispute Causes Confusion As New COVID Strain Looms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines, adjusting previous guidance for children. Scientists warn that waning immunity could cause a surge of a new strain of COVID-19 later this year. At the end of May, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr....
National News

RFK Jr. Calls Vaccines "Divisive Issue", Dismisses & Replaces Members of Vaccine Committee

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday appointed eight new members to a key vaccine advisory panel—including several with anti-vaccine views—after abruptly dismissing all 17 members of the previously independent expert committee. The American Medical Association is pushing back. The Advisory Committee on...
National News

HHS Submits Budget Request to Congress - Calls for 'Radical Change' $31.6B Cut

The department has submitted an updated FY 2026 budget request to Congress, detailing how proposed spending cuts would impact the department’s agencies and programs. The request calls for "radical change" to shrink and restructure the healthcare system in hopes of improving national healthcare performance. The HHS budget would get...
News

Urban Institute Report: Healthcare Industry Could Lose $1 Trillion from Republican Reconciliation Bill

A new report on the impact of the Trump administration's "Big, Beautiful Bill" (BBB) shows that the healthcare industry will take on nearly $800 billion in losses should the bill go into effect. The House-passed tax and spending bill is projected to have major impacts on the healthcare sector, specifically for hospitals and other...
National News

HHS OIG Report Shows $16 Billion in Potential Overpayments - Suggests CAH Swing Bed Rates Too High

In a report released this week by the HHS Office of Inspector General, the leading federal agency focused on combating healthcare fraud emphasized the OIG's audits, evaluations, and investigations consistently identify a high risk of fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare Advantage risk adjustment program, which provides higher...
Arizona News

CMS Requests Information from Providers on Gender Affirmative Care for Minors - Slashes Funding for HIV Vaccine Research

This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requested information on gender affirming care from select hospitals and cut funding for HIV vaccine research. Jessyca Leach, CEO of Prisma Community Care, told ABC15 that local organizations are concerned that the cuts would have an impact on the broader...
National News

Gold Standard Science MAHA Report on Children's Health Includes Reference Errors & Fictional Studies

Last week, while the White House celebrated the publication of the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Report, errors were discovered in several of the references made to support some of the report's conclusions; errors frequently produced by artificial intelligence (AI). The original report, which was produced by the MAHA Commission,...
New CBO Estimates $1 Trillion Hit to Healthcare Sector in Republican Reconciliation Bill - $3.8 Trillion Deficit Increase Over a Decade National News

New CBO Estimates $1 Trillion Hit to Healthcare Sector in Republican Reconciliation Bill - $3.8 Trillion Deficit Increase Over a Decade

The Republican spending bill has spent the week under review after succeeding through the House of Representatives last week. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published its findings on the bill that aims to slash government spending in order to float massive tax cuts promised by the Trump administration. Modern Healthcare reports...
Lawsuits Filed Against Insurers for Ghost Networks - Including Centene's Ambetter in Arizona Arizona News

Lawsuits Filed Against Insurers for Ghost Networks - Including Centene's Ambetter in Arizona

Inaccurate provider directories, also called "ghost networks," are the subject of two recent lawsuits against health insurers. Last year, ProPublica reported on the death of Ravi Coutinho after he was unable to find adequate mental health and addiction treatment in Phoenix that was covered by the health insurance plan he purchased...
Republican Reconciliation Bill Passes House: Threatens Medicaid, ACA Marketplace Enhanced Subsidies Still Set to Expire National News

Republican Reconciliation Bill Passes House: Threatens Medicaid, ACA Marketplace Enhanced Subsidies Still Set to Expire

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a reconciliation package with significant changes for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace as part of what President Donald Trump's calls a "big beautiful" spending vision for his second term in office. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the part...
National News

MAHA Report Finds Fault with Screens and Processed Foods, Pulls Punches on Chemical Lobby

Last week, President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released a report examining the rise in chronic childhood diseases, identifying what they believe are the root causes. The report describes American children as over-stressed, sleep-deprived and screen addicted with rising rates of illnesses like diabetes, obesity...
National News

Epic Systems Hit with Second Lawsuit, Continues to Outpace Competition for Market Share

Another company has filed a lawsuit against Epic Systems for attempting to block a competition in health data software. The lawsuit, brought by CureIS Healthcare, which creates software for managed care organizations, accuses the company of running a "multi-prong scheme to destroy" business competition. It alleges that Epic instituted...
Arizona News

Center for Reproductive Rights Files Suit to Challenge Arizona Abortion Laws

A new lawsuit has been brought under Arizona's voter-approved constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights in the state. The lawsuit challenges statutes and regulations that curb abortion access but remain in effect despite the passage of the Arizona Abortion Access Act. The laws that restrict abortion access must be challenged...
Kennedy Drops COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendation for Pregnant Women and Most Children National News

Kennedy Drops COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendation for Pregnant Women and Most Children

Last week, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to pregnant women and healthy children. The announcement appears to be a unilateral decision by the Secretary, but was supported by...
White Papers, E books, Reports and more

Study: Persistent Gender Pay Gap for PCPs in Medicare MCOs Value-Based Payment Models & FFS

A new study shows that the gender pay gap among physicians continues, with women experiencing lower pay. The study compared data from Medicare Advantage claims and star quality data from 13 payers in 2022. The study included primary care providers (PCPs) who assumed full financial risk for MA patients. The outcomes demonstrated gender...
National News

Trump Initiates New Science Guidelines

President Donald Trump launched a new initiative on science last week, envisioning research free from the tyranny of diversity programs and ushering in a new culture of "gold standard science." Elsewhere, an administration official publicly announced that the U.S. has the scientific capability to manipulate space and time. The...
Medicaid Cuts Imperil Pregnant Women and Infants in Rural Areas White Papers, E books, Reports and more

Medicaid Cuts Imperil Pregnant Women and Infants in Rural Areas

A new report demonstrates the importance of Medicaid for childbirth in rural communities. The new paper by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families examined the role of Medicaid in coverage for women of childbearing age living in small towns and rural areas, expounding on prior research that found a higher reliance...
Arizona News

Measles Outbreak Spreads to 30 States, Canada

The measles outbreak continues this week with 30 states reporting cases and Texas cases alone surpassing 700. The number of cases for this outbreak, which originated in anti-vaccine communities in West Texas, has far surpassed the 285 cases total reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2024. Forbes reports that...
Arizona News

Judge Halts HHS Grant Cuts

This week the courts are getting in the way of the Trump administration's plans to decimate the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as federal injunctions intervene against cuts and improper firings. On Thursday, a federal judge sided with 23 states, including Arizona, and Washington, D.C. to block $11.4 billion in cuts to...
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Region 10 HFMA Webinar: Lunch & Learn with Alan Pruhs, A Discussion on Health Equity January 12, 2026 12:00 PM-1:00 PMMT In a nearly 20-year career as executive director of the Association for Utah Community[...]
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