Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
About health insurance/insurers
CMS’ latest ACA enrollment data: Effectuated ACA enrollment has increased 13% since 2024 and nearly 93% of enrollees qualify for enhanced premium tax credits, according to an August report from CMS.
Judge blocks HHS from sharing Medicaid data with ICE: A California federal judge has blocked Trump administration health officials from sharing people’s individual health data with the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement purposes while litigation plays out, Bloomberg reported Aug. 12.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
2025 US NFP Hospital & Health System Medians Begin Recovery; Longer-Term Uncertainty: U.S. not-for-profit hospital medians show anticipated continued improvement in operating margins alongside stable-to-strong liquidity and leverage metrics, according to a new report by Fitch Ratings.
The sector’s median operating margin rose to 1.1% from 0.4% the prior year, with gains supported by easing labor market pressures, reduced reliance on contract labor, and higher patient volumes. Operating EBITDA margins improved across all rating categories, with the ‘AA’ category at 7.2%, ‘A’ at 5.9%, and ‘BBB’ at 4.7%, illustrating a broad-based recovery, though credit quality continues to diverge at sector extremes.
About pharma
Bayer expands oncology pipeline with $1.3B Kumquat deal: Bayer signed a deal potentially worth $1.3 billion to partner on Kumquat Biosciences' experimental KRAS G12D inhibitor, which was cleared last month by the FDA to enter clinical testing. The agreement, announced Tuesday, is the latest move by Bayer to expand its precision oncology pipeline.
Cardinal Health builds out urology focus with $1.9B deal for Solaris Health: Cardinal Health acquired Solaris Health as it continues to build out its multispecialty management services organization platform.
The pharmaceuticals and specialty products distributor announced Tuesday that its multispecialty MSO platform, called The Specialty Alliance, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Solaris Health, a urology MSO, from Lee Equity Partners and Solaris Health physician owners.
Cardinal Health said it will provide about $1.9 billion in cash and new debt financing to The Specialty Alliance to support the acquisition.
About healthcare personnel
Physician Flash Report (2nd Q): Key Takeaways:
1.Net patient revenue per provider increased overall. However, revenue per provider unit of work (wRVU) decreased slightly for surgical and hospital-based specialties, reflecting a shift toward more outpatient care.
2. Physician productivity rose. Corresponding increases in revenue and expenses indicate that physicians are working more, and the rise in wRVUs is not solely due to the 2021 code changes.
3. Medical support staff levels are decreasing in relation to wRVU generation. This may indicate ongoing hiring/retention challenges and could become a hindrance to future growth.