CMS Administrator Seema Verma went to bat for Medicaid work requirement programs, which have been implemented or approved in a handful of states, even as thousands of beneficiaries are on course to lose healthcare coverage as a result of these rules.

CVS Health’s $69 billion acquisition of health insurance giant Aetna is not going to complete without divestments. WellCare Health Plans, a Tampa-based managed care company, has agreed to acquire Aetna’s entire Medicare Part D prescription drug plan business, which encompassed 2.2 million members as of June 30.

Medicare patients who receive hospital outpatient care are more likely to be poorer and have more severe chronic conditions compared to those treated in an independent physician office, according to a study commissioned by the American Hospital Association.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Sept. 26, a new strategic plan for tuberculosis (TB) aiming to strengthen research, diagnostic tools and clinical efforts to tackle the disease, according to a NIH news release.

In 2016, Medicaid spending reached $581 billion—the highest level ever for the federal program—and covered an estimated 72 million beneficiaries. Over the next decade, spending is projected to rise 5.7 percent a year, topping $1 trillion by 2026.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has decided to expand Medicare coverage for cardiac PET, effective later this year.

As the trade war between the U.S. and China continues, the medical technology industry is bracing for heavy impact from China's $5 billion in tariffs on imported U.S. goods—including medical imaging devices and technology, according to an article published Sept. 24 by Forbes.

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—the industry middlemen that negotiate drug prices—are passing on nearly all their savings to insurance providers, according to Terry Wilcox, co-founder and executive director of advocacy organization Patients Rising. His op-ed for The Hill placed the blame of high costs squarely on insurers.