About health insurance/insurers
CMS seeks input on improving transparency in Medicare Advantage “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is seeking feedback on how to increase transparency around Medicare Advantage and improve data capabilities.
The request for information is the latest MA-focused action the agency has taken this month. Last week, the agency finalized a rule that gives stricter limits on when insurers must respond to prior authorization requests.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
FTC sues to block $320M Novant, CHS deal “The Federal Trade Commission said it is suing Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health in a move to block its $320 million acquisition of two North Carolina hospitals from Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems…
The FTC claims that Novant's proposed agreement to acquire the two hospitals from Community Health Systems poses a risk of increased prices and diminished incentives for investing in quality and innovative care.”
About pharma
Merck & Co. signs $220M macrocyclic peptide deal after hailing ‘next wave of drug discovery’ “Months after hailing macrocyclic peptides as the “next wave of drug discovery,” Merck & Co. has pushed further into the space by penning a $220 million biobucks deal with Unnatural Products.
The California-based biotech uses its combination of AI and chemistry expertise to ‘address the complexities of medicinal chemistry in the macrocycle space,’ the company said in a Jan. 23 release….
There is a long history of using macrocycle drugs, such as the immunosuppressant cyclosporine and the antibiotic erythromycin. However, efforts to systematically develop macrocycles have run into a range of challenges related to pharmacokinetics, cell permeability and oral bioavailability.”
Walgreens shareholders reject disclosing abortion pill sale risks “Walgreens Boots Alliance investors rejected a proposal asking the Deerfield-based company to issue a report on any known or potential risks related to how the company chooses to sell an abortion drug in certain parts of the country.
The proposal came from the Presbyterian Church, which also asked the pharmacy, retail and health care giant to disclose strategies beyond litigation and legal compliance that the company might use to mitigate risks associated with selling mifepristone. The church also asked for Walgreens to provide clarity on its stance related to selling the drug.”
About healthcare IT
Gaps in internet use narrowed among older adults with Medicare during the COVID-19 pandemic but persist “Consistent with prior research, we find lower internet access for racially or ethnically minoritized and limited-income people with Medicare. Although “digital equity” gaps may be narrowing, large differences (>20 pp) persist. Less healthy, less economically advantaged, older, Spanish-preferring, and racially or ethnically minoritized people with Medicare may be less likely to have access to telemedicine because of unreliable internet access but might nonetheless benefit from telemedicine if they had reliable internet access.”
Florida lawmakers vote to restrict children's access to social media “The Florida House of Representatives approved on Wednesday a bill aimed at barring children aged 16 and younger from social media platforms, following similar action in several states to limit online risks to young teenagers.
Passed by a bipartisan vote of 106 to 13, the measure would require social media platforms to terminate the accounts of anyone under 17 years old and use a third-party verification system to screen out the underaged.”
About healthcare finance
Healthcare bankruptcies hit 5-year high “Seventy-three healthcare companies, including 12 hospitals and health systems, filed for bankruptcy in 2023, the highest number of filings since 2019, according to a Jan. 25 report published by Gibbins Advisors, a healthcare restructuring consulting firm.
Hospital bankruptcy filings spiked in 2023 with 12 filings compared to a total of 11 filings from the previous three years combined. The senior care and pharmaceutical sectors comprised nearly half the total healthcare bankruptcy filings in 2023, in line with previous trends, according to the report.”
CFTC Approves Intelligent Medicine Exchange (IMX) as New Futures Exchange “Intelligent Medicine Exchange (IMX)™ has been designated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a contract market – a new futures and options exchange that allows market participants to hedge and invest in the health care economy.IMX will enable market participants to manage risk across the health care ecosystem in transparent, two-sided markets that represent many facets of the health care sector. Trading operations are expected to commence in the first half of 2024.”
Comment: Details are not supplied about which contract will be available for which healthcare services or products. A word of caution: options are available on products whose prices can fluctuate. Healthcare prices almost always increase.