Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
About health insurance/insurers
House Throws Wrench in Plan to Test Prior Auth in Traditional Medicare: he House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday took aim at defunding a plan that could potentially expand prior authorization in Medicare.
Enough Republicans in the committee joined Democrats in passing an amendment to an HHS funding bill that would block CMS from implementing its recently announced prior authorization pilot programopens in a new tab or window in traditional Medicare. The goal of the plan is to target services including skin and tissue substitutesopens in a new tab or window, electrical nerve stimulator implantsopens in a new tab or window, and knee arthroscopy for osteoarthritis.
Employer health costs to top $17,000 per employee in 2026: What You Need To Know
Aon projects a 9.5% increase in 2026, marking the third consecutive year with price hikes approaching double digits.
The continued rise in chronic and high-cost conditions remain primary drivers of escalating medical costs in the United States.
Prescription drug spending also is rising, driven by greater use of costly brand-name and specialty medications.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
22 hospital closures in 2025 FYI
About pharma
Novartis' challenge to Medicare price negotiations falls flat on appeal: An appeals court has rejected Novartis' challenge to the Inflation Reduction Act's (IRA) Medicare drug price negotiation programme, adding to a series of defeats for the pharmaceutical industry on this issue.
Vaccine stocks slide on report that Trump team plans to link child deaths to COVID-19 shots: Shares of COVID-19 vaccine developers took a hit Friday after The Washington Post, citing four people familiar with the situation, reported that Trump administration health officials plan to link the preventative shots to the deaths of 25 children in a presentation next week to a vaccine advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).