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In other news:
RFK Jr. confirmed, elevating anti-vaccine activist to nation’s top health post “Kennedy was confirmed in a 52 to 48 vote largely along party lines, with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) as the lone exception.”
About health insurance/insurers
Payers ranked by 2024 profits FYI
UnitedHealth Group, Amedisys plan to divest facilities in bid to close $3.3B merger “In a court filing issued late last week, UHG said it intends to pursue a divestiture plan that would sell off ‘at minimum’ 128 combined home health and hospice facilities. The company said in the filing that once the divestitures are completed, it will operate only 10% of home health services in the U.S. and 4% of hospice services.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
Tenet has 'outstanding' 2024 with $6B operating income, 28.9% margin “Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare reported an operating income of $6 billion (28.8% margin) for the year ended Dec. 31, 2024, up from $2.5 billion (12.2% margin) in 2023, according to its financial report released Feb. 12.”
432 rural hospitals at risk of closure, breakdown by state “There are 432 rural hospitals vulnerable to closure, according to a Feb. 11 report from Chartis, a healthcare advisory services firm.
Chartis analyzed 15 vulnerability indicators and found that 10 were statistically significant in predicting hospital closures, including: Medicaid expansion status, average length of stay, occupancy, percentage change in net patient revenue and years of negative operating margin.”
About pharma
Diet drug boom weighs heavily on state budgets “…with the number of prescriptions skyrocketing past projections — more than 1 in 10 Americans reported taking a GLP-1 drug, according to a May 2024 KFF Health Tracking poll — some states are limiting or ending the benefit.”
About health technology
Johnson & Johnson puts stroke care business up for sale “Johnson & Johnson has put its stroke care business up for sale, aiming for a valuation of more than $1bn, as part of its efforts to reorganise its medical technology division, according to people familiar with the matter.”