Healthcare was top of mind among Iowa caucus-goers as the start of the 2020 election kicked off in the state on Feb. 3. About 60% of Democrats at the Iowa caucuses said they support eliminating private health insurance and moving to a single-payer healthcare system.

The novel coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has become the world’s most expensive epidemic, according to data from Learnbonds.com. In fact, the virus, which has been compared to SARS and MERS, is expected to cost China about 2% of its GDP during the first quarter of 2020, or $62 billion.

The former CEO of health insurer Aetna, which was acquired by CVS Health for $69 billion at the end of 2018, says he is being pushed off the board of the combined company.

The Florida-based orthopedic surgeon filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Orlando Health, claiming he was fired for not referring patients to in-network imaging practices and performing surgeries at out-of-network facilities.

Medicaid block grants, which have been framed as an “opportunity” for states to better control their Medicaid spending and gain flexibility, have been harshly criticized by healthcare groups.

President Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at a time when most Americans have been focused on impeachment, the 2020 election and the coronavirus outbreak.

The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance, among other agencies, hosted a briefing in D.C. Jan. 29, aimed at shining a spotlight on this issue. 

The Trump administration has released its Medicaid block grant program under a new name that allows states to designate funding and put a cap on Medicaid spending. The program, dubbed Healthy Adults Opportunity, is an optional intervention initiative that fundamentally changes the way part of Medicaid is funded.