Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
FTC probes antitrust regulations after Trump’s executive order: 7 things to know FYI
Impacts of Communication Type and Quality on Patient Safety Incidents: A Systematic Review: Four studies investigated whether poor communication was the only identified cause of a patient safety incident; here, poor communication caused 13.2% (IQR, 6.1% to 24.4%) of safety incidents. Forty-two studies investigated whether poor communication contributed to patient safety incidents alongside other causes; here, poor communication contributed to 24.0% (IQR, 12.0% to 46.8%) of safety incidents. Study heterogeneity was high in terms of setting, continent, health care staff, and safety incident type. The strength of the evidence was low or very low.
About health insurance/insurers
Medicare Advantage rate boost likely to ‘significantly support’ payers’ financial recovery: Fitch: CMS’ payment increase of 5.03% in 2026 “will likely significantly support the recovery” of Medicare Advantage plans as they continue to face rising medical costs, according to Fitch Ratings.
Increased government scrutiny, reduced base payments and rising utilization in the last couple of years has put pressure on the program, leading plans to reduce benefits or pull back from unprofitable markets. CMS’ rate hike will increase payments to MA plans by more than $25 billion in 2026.
Around 1 in 4 small businesses are dropping insurance coverage: 5 notes:
Here are five findings to note:
The share of businesses dropping employees varied by industry. Among personal service businesses with employees, 33% discontinued insurance coverage between 2022 and 2023. Among real estate businesses, the share was 25%.
A 10% hike in premiums cost was associated with a higher likelihood of discontinuing coverage, the analysts found.
Most small businesses that stopped paying health insurance premiums continued to operate in the following years, according to the report. This indicates that discontinuing health insurance is often a “strategic move to manage expenses, rather than an indication of financial distress or impending closure.”
In 2023, small businesses spent an average of 4.2% of total operating expenses on health insurance, a 3.1% jump from 2023.
Policies to keep premiums affordable and predictable could help small businesses retain consistent coverage, according to JPMorganChase.
Read the full report here.
About the public’s health
RFK Jr. plans changes to vaccine injury reporting system: Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday that he plans to roll out changes to the vaccine injury monitoring system that would automate and increase data collection as well as look for negative impacts of the shots.
About healthcare IT
The Healthcare AI Adoption Index
Top takeaways
—AI adoption is accelerating, driven by internal teams co-developing with Big Tech and cloud providers—not just startups (i.e., healthcare AI applications).
—60% of execs report AI budgets outpace IT spend, with funding decisions centralized within the C-suite.
—Only 30% of AI pilots reach production, held back by security, data readiness, integration costs, and limited in-house expertise.
—Startups have significant growth opportunities ahead: As of now, only 15% of AI projects involve vertical AI applications, and just 32% of executives believe GenAI solutions from startups are superior to those from large tech incumbents. Yet 48% of executives say they prefer working with startups over established players, highlighting the potential for startup founders to co-build and serve emergent AI strategies.
—Trust and outcomes matter most—procurement is shifting toward co-development as 64% of execs are open to co-developing with early-stage partners, particularly with those startups that show clear and attributable ROI.