The Latest
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CVS holds 2026 guidance steady as turnaround plan bears fruit
The healthcare giant outperformed to close out 2025, and expects its finances to improve further this year. Still, proposed Medicare Advantage rates could be an issue moving forward.
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Sponsored by Greenway Health
The automation readiness test: What ambulatory practices must fix before AI can help
AI won’t fix fragmented workflows. Here’s what ambulatory practices must fix first.
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FDA refuses to review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine
Moderna claimed that the decision, issued by top vaccine regulator Vinay Prasad, was “inconsistent” with prior FDA communications and went against the regulator’s established guidance for flu shots.
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Cigna to lay off 2,000 workers worldwide
Cigna’s layoffs follow other recent downsizing announcements from health insurers looking to cut costs during an era of heightened medical spending.
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CMS proposes sweeping ACA exchange rule
The CMS said the regulation should remove barriers to more affordable health plans like catastrophic coverage, as enrollment on the exchanges falls following the expiration of stronger financial assistance.
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Kaiser Permanente strike expands as pharmacy, lab workers walk out
More than 3,000 pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants and clinical laboratory professionals joined the strike, which entered its third week on Monday.
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Baxter cuts roughly 90 jobs at IV solutions plant that recovered from Hurricane Helene
Baxter’s North Cove site made about 60% of the U.S. supply of IV fluids. Hospital demand for IV solutions in the U.S. is lower than before Hurricane Helene, the company said.
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Kaiser increased its operating income in 2025, despite rising expenses
The integrated healthcare conglomerate nearly tripled its operating income last year compared to 2024.
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Centene swings to loss but predicts stabilization in 2026
Centene outperformed in the fourth quarter, while predicting earnings growth in 2026 — a rarity among managed care companies’ generally dour outlooks.
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Hims cancels plans to sell compounded GLP-1 pill after FDA backlash
Following escalating legal threats from federal regulators regarding plans to sell an unapproved form of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill, Hims said it “decided to stop offering access” to the treatment.
Updated Feb. 9, 2026 -
HHS scraps 340B rebate pilot in win for hospitals
The Trump administration agreed to drop a controversial pilot that would have allowed drugmakers to give post-sales rebates on some drugs instead of upfront discounts.
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White House’s online service for drug sales debuts with limited impact on prices
Select products from Pfizer, Eli Lilly and others will be sold at a discount, although the lower costs won’t be felt by many Americans whose medications are covered by insurance.
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Cigna posts ‘low-drama’ fourth quarter following major FTC settlement
Cigna is hoping the settlement it reached with regulators paired with recent legislation will mollify calls to reform PBMs — without affecting Express Scripts’ profitability.
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Express Scripts reaches ‘landmark’ settlement with FTC in insulin suit
The agreement includes sweeping changes for Cigna’s PBM, including no longer preferring expensive drugs over cheaper equivalents on standard formularies and reshoring its controversial rebate aggregator.
Updated Feb. 4, 2026 -
Epic rolls out AI charting tool as scribe market heats up
The vendor could prove a significant competitor in the AI notetaking space, given Epic’s leading market share in electronic health records.
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Primary care physicians’ EHR work persists after reducing patient visits: study
Visit volume for physicians who scaled back on appointments declined nearly 33%, but their EHR time only fell 21%, according to a study published in Health Affairs.
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Trump signs funding bill with PBM reforms, hospital-at-home and telehealth extensions
The funding package ends a partial government shutdown and enacts several healthcare policies, including preserving telehealth flexibilities in Medicare through 2027.
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CMS presses ahead on accelerated Medicare Advantage audits
The agency quietly released a memo updating MA plans on how it’s approaching risk adjustment data validation audits after a Texas judge’s ruling last year threw the expanded reviews into doubt.
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Deep Dive
Health insurers brace for impact in 2026
Profits will start to tick up after reaching trough levels. Washington will play nice. M&A and AI adoption will accelerate. We asked experts to look into their crystal balls on what the coming year means for a beleaguered industry.
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One-quarter of Medicaid doctors don’t actually treat Medicaid patients: study
The new research published in Health Affairs adds to concerns about low physician participation in the safety-net insurance program, especially among mental health practitioners.
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Top healthcare conferences to attend in 2026
These are the events healthcare leaders should plan for this year, covering topics like digital health, rural care and financial management.
Updated Jan. 30, 2026 -
Prices rise at surgery centers acquired by Optum: study
The full financial impact of the price hikes could exceed $67 million each year in two dozen markets, according to the new study published in Health Affairs.
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Genetic testing takes greater share of Medicare Part B test spending: OIG
Spending on the tests, which analyze genetic material from both people and pathogens, rose 20% year over year in 2024, the analysis found.
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Humana deploys AI support tool for call centers
Agent Assist, developed with Google Cloud, summarizes conversations between workers and beneficiaries while highlighting relevant information, like enrollees’ benefit and eligibility details.
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Medicare Advantage prior authorization requests rise in 2024: report
Nearly 53 million prior authorization requests were sent to insurers in 2024, compared with nearly 50 million in the prior year, according to KFF. Almost 8% of those requests were partially or fully denied.
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Tenet regains full ownership in RCM subsidiary Conifer as CommonSpirit exits
CommonSpirit, angling to insource its revenue cycle management functions, is offloading its minority share in Conifer back to Tenet. Tenet said the deal will create almost $2.7 billion in value.