Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
The cost of giving birth, by state FYI
About health insurance/insurers
The state of Medicare Advantage enrollment in 2025 FYI
UnitedHealth Group sets new earnings guidance amid 19% Q2 profit dip: UnitedHealth Group posted a net profit of $3.4 billion in the second quarter of 2025, down from $4.2 billion during the same period last year, according to the company’s July 29 earnings report.
The company also set a new 2025 earnings guidance after suspending its outlook on May 13.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
USNews Best Hospitals annual report FYI
Joint Commission Introduces Children’s Health Strategy to Advance Specialized Accreditation and Certification: Joint Commission today announced a significant new children’s healthcare strategy designed to address gaps in how children’s hospitals are accredited and certified for the care they provide the nation’s youngest patients. This initiative marks a bold step forward in recognizing children’s unique healthcare needs, as currently, standards do not distinguish between the respective healthcare needs of adults and children.
About pharma
Chain Drug Store Closures Create Big Opportunities for Supermarkets, Mass Merchandisers and Online Pharmacies, J.D. Power Finds: As a steadily rising number of neighborhood drug stores close their doors, more customers are turning to mail order pharmacies, mass market merchandisers and supermarkets—and finding an improved customer experience along the way. According to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Pharmacy Study released today, overall satisfaction with mail order pharmacies is rising steadily, with a 7-point increase (on a 1,000-point scale) in overall customer satisfaction this year. Meanwhile, chain drug stores have seen their overall satisfaction scores slide far below those of other brick-and-mortar pharmacies, such as those found in mass market retailers and supermarkets, pushing many chain drug store customers to consider switching providers.
Novo again slashes annual guidance, as compounding continues to hit Wegovy: Novo explained that the revised guidance takes into account lower US growth expectations for Wegovy in the obesity market for the remainder of the year, as well as for Ozempic in the GLP-1 diabetes space. The company noted that Wegovy continues to be negatively impacted by "the persistent use of compounded GLP-1s, slower-than-expected market expansion and competition."
About the public’s health
Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health This just-released report contains a wealth of information on drug use, including tobacco and alcohol.
About healthcare IT
Athenahealth hits interoperability milestone as White House aims to promote health data sharing: Health IT software company athenahealth hit a key interoperability milestone with more than 100,000 provider customers now connected to a government-backed data exchange framework.
The company says it's the first healthcare IT company to implement the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) at scale.
About health technology
Biopharma and medtech investments navigate Q2 challenges 2 reports from J.P. Morgan FYI.
Alzheimer’s Association Releases Its First Clinical Practice Guideline for Blood-Based Biomarker Tests: In a landmark step toward transforming Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in specialty care, the Alzheimer’s Association today released its first clinical practice guideline (CPG) on the use of blood-based biomarker (BBM) tests. The guideline is being reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® 2025 (AAIC®) in Toronto and online, and published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia®: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.