Read today’s KFF Health News
In other news:
About health insurance/insurers
Payers ranked by 2024 medical loss ratios FYI. Recall that the “sweet spot” is about 85%.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
22 health systems dropping Medicare Advantage plans | 2025:Medicare Advantage provides health coverage to more than half of the nation's older adults, but some hospitals and health systems are opting to end or not renew contracts with some MA plans over administrative challenges.
Among the most commonly cited reasons are excessive prior authorization denial rates and slow payments from insurers
Hospital labor, drug expenses rising: 18 statistics FYI. Note that these figures are changes.
Nearly half of rural hospitals in the red, 432 vulnerable to closure, report finds: The portion of rural hospitals operating with negative margins has dipped slightly from last year, though the number of facilities most likely to close has also crept up, healthcare advisory services firm Chartis found.
The group’s latest report on the state of rural healthcare providers found that 46% of rural hospitals are operating at a loss while 432 hospitals are deemed to be “vulnerable to closure.” This comes as 18 rural hospitals either closed or shifted to an operating model excluding inpatient care, per cited data from the Sheps Center for Health Services Research.
For comparison, the 2024 edition of the same report outlined 50% of rural hospitals operating in the red and 418 hospitals at risk of closure.
About pharma
Walgreens shares soar after report that private-equity deal is 'alive': Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. shares soared after CNBC said that a take-private deal with private equity firm Sycamore Partners is still possible.
FDA OKs 1st rapid-acting insulin biosimilar: Sanofi-Aventis' Merilog is the first FDA-approved rapid-acting insulin biosimilar.
On Feb. 14, the agency approved the drug, a biosimilar to Novolog, for glycemic control improvement in adult and pediatric diabetic patients.
2024's top 10 clinical trial flops FYI
About the public’s health
UnitedHealth, HAC study examines how obesity is impacting employer health costs: The report notes that 75% of adults in U.S. are either overweight or obese, up from 50% in 1990. Obesity rates grew fastest among younger adults, according to the report.
The HAC represents about 230 self-funded employers, and, among its members, about a quarter (26%) have been diagnosed with obesity. The obese population accounts for 46% of the employers' medical spend, according to the report.
About healthcare personnel
The Health of US Primary Care: 2025 Scorecard Report — The Cost of Neglect Read this summary.
In short: “This year, the Scorecard spotlights the poor financing of primary care, describing how persistent challenges in primary care arise from insufficient investment (or in the case of training, misplaced investment) and a FFS payment model that rewards volume rather than the value of care. While providing updates on performance on the measures in each dimension, we analyze the impact of primary care financing, or the lack thereof, on primary care workforce/access, training, information technology, and research.
This report highlights how systemic financial issues not only undermine the effectiveness of primary care delivery but, more importantly, jeopardize the overall health of our communities.”