Life is hectic, we know, so here’s a recap of the Healthcare Weekly Hot Topics you can’t afford to miss:
- General Motors Cuts Health Plan for 50,000 Striking Workers. Becker’s Hospital Review. September 18, 2019.
50,000 General Motors employees are striking as the United Auto Workers Union and GM try to negotiate a new deal. The union said GM cut Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage for striking workers, and as a result the union would absorb healthcare costs.
2) Judge Tosses HHS Scheme Lowering Outpatient Hospital Payments. Bloomberg Law. September 17, 2019.
A federal court judge tossed out a Trump administration scheme that lowered how much off-campus, hospital-based clinics can get paid for treating Medicare patients. The judge said that CMS exceeded its statutory authority when it cut the payment rates.
3) Millions of Americans’ Medical Images and Data are Available on the Internet? ProPublica. September 17, 2019.
Medical images and health data belonging to millions of Americans, including X-rays, MRIs and CT scans, are sitting unprotected on the internet and available to anyone with basic computer expertise.
4) House Committee Delays Vote on Surprise Medical Bills’ Legislation. The Hill. September 17, 2019.
The House Education and Labor Committee has called off plans to vote on legislation this week to protect patients from “surprise” medical bills because of divisions among lawmakers on the panel.
5) Purdue Pharma Will Stay in Business During Bankruptcy Proceedings. AP News. September 17, 2019.
A judge ruled that Purdue Pharma may stay in business while it pursues bankruptcy protection and settlement of more than 2,600 lawsuits filed against it in a reckoning over the opioid crisis.
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