Health Headlines for Wednesday, May 16
Trump’s Plan for Cheaper Health Insurance Could Have Hidden Costs
New York Times
President Trump’s plan to expand access to skimpy short-term health insurance policies, as an alternative to the Affordable Care Act, would affect more people and cost the government more money than the administration estimated, an independent federal study says.
Protecting New York’s health insurance marketplace from Trump
Crain’s New York Business
Each year, my agency, the New York State Department of Financial Services, uses its authority to review and approve health insurers’ rate requests for the individual and small-employer group markets to ensure premiums are justified.
CDPHP executives: These state mandates could drive up health care costs for businesses, consumers
Albany Business Review
Heading into the last few weeks of the legislative session, there are a few pieces of legislation Dr. John Bennett, CDPHP’s president and CEO, is concerned about.
Empire BlueCross BlueShield HealthPlus and NYC Health + Hospitals Announce Agreement to Increase Access for Medicaid Managed Care Consumers
Business Wire
With a shared commitment to increase consumer access to high-quality, affordable health care, Empire BlueCross BlueShield HealthPlus (HealthPlus) and NYC Health + Hospitals are announcing they have finalized a new Medicaid managed care contract that will add NYC Health + Hospitals to HealthPlus’s care provider network.
Obamacare startup Oscar will expand to new states, CEO says
Crain’s New York Business
Oscar Insurance Corp., the Obamacare-focused health insurance startup, plans to expand to Arizona and at least three other new markets next year, a bet on the health law’s survival despite the turbulent politics surrounding it.
Taking aim at 340B drug program, lawmakers target both hospitals and pharma
Stat
They don’t agree on the details, but both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are ready to ramp up oversight of a federal drug discount program that hospitals generally support — and drug makers tend to want to rein in.
PhRMA expresses ‘serious concerns’ with Trump drug pricing proposals
The Hill
The main drug industry lobbying group on Tuesday said that it had “serious concerns” with major elements of President Trump’s new plan to bring down drug prices.
Hospitals See Growing Numbers Of Kids And Teens At Risk For Suicide
NPR
The number of kids who struggle with thoughts of suicide – or attempt to kill themselves – is rising. New research, published Wednesday in Pediatrics finds children ages 5-17 visited children’s hospitals for suicidal thoughts or attempts about twice as often in 2015 as in 2008.
The Cybersecurity 202: Why cybersecurity experts are so concerned about the health-care industry
Washington Post
New research released by two security companies paints an unsettling picture for the health-care industry: Hackers are stepping up their attacks on hospitals and other health organizations that may be ill prepared to defend against the wave of malicious activity.