Rich Daly
About the Author
Rich Daly is senior editor, policy affairs with HFMA, based in Alabama. His healthcare policy and finance reporting experience includes staff writer positions with Modern Healthcare and Congressional Quarterly (both focused on healthcare regulatory and legislative developments); editor-in-chief of 340B Report (the only news outlet focused on daily policy, legal, and business developments in the 340B program); and serving as a content director for Sg2/Vizient Inc (producing reports on financial pain points and solutions for health systems). He previously covered daily news for HFMA and wrote features for Healthcare Financial Management magazine, where his recognitions included the Stephen Barr Award (the only individual achievement award) from the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Latest Work
Hospitals freeze jobs in April
Hospital job creation ground to a halt in April, even as new positions proliferated in the overall healthcare sector. Hospitals added no new jobs in April, according to unadjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). When BLS applied its seasonal adjustment, it counted 4,300 new positions. That was the first time hospital jobs…
Concerns raised over copay-only plans
Fast-growing copay-only health plans can have adverse financial effects for health systems, an adviser warned. Health system CFOs have told Mike Ruiz, senior director, financial transformation advisory services at Premier, that the requirements around the use of copay-only plans have left a growing number of patients with uncovered bills that are turning into bad debt.…
FastFinance: MA turmoil and opportunities, hospital price caps
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems may have some opportunities ahead to improve their results in Medicare Advantage. Also, this week’s Weird Number: $3.8 billion. That’s the total drop in Clinical Laboratory Fee…
Medicare Advantage turmoil continues
Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment growth has slowed to its weakest in 15 years, but it remains the dominant Medicare segment. MA enrollment, as of April 1, increased only 2.4% from April 2025, according to an analysis by Mark Farrah Associates. Enrollment increases have slowed from 3.8% in April 2025 and 6.4% in April 2024. The…
Research on price caps fueling their spread
Policymakers are using research that inaccurately concludes that hospital price caps do not hurt the finances of those organizations to justify the ongoing spread of such policies, says a hospital strategic adviser. “People are using operating metrics that conveniently make the argument that hospitals are highly profitable in those states,” Jeff Goldsmith, president of Health…
States overhaul certificate-of-need laws
States have advanced a range of reforms to their certificate-of-need (CON) laws amid federal pressure to weaken or eliminate them. The highest-profile change, so far this year, was Tennessee’s April 16 passage of a bill (SB1369) to repeal its CON requirements for acute care hospitals. CON requirements for most acute care hospitals in the state…
Flagged hospitals say they are not financially endangered
Some of the hospitals listed as at risk of closing due to coming federal Medicaid cuts reject that assessment. The left-leaning advocacy group, Public Citizen, wrote in a March 31 report that 446 hospitals “are at heightened risk of closing or reducing services due to Medicaid cuts.” The widely covered report was based on its…
Hospitals, insurers clash on 340B rebate costs
Hospitals and insurers both urged federal regulators to ignore the cost projections of the other side in their comments on a coming redux of a 340B rebate model. The comments came in response to a request for information (RFI) from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeking input on whether and how to implement…
FastFinance: Medicaid administrative burdens; Cost cutting plans for 2026
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Hospitals and health systems are facing Medicaid administrative burdens as states scramble to upgrade their programs ahead of OBBBA. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 49.5%. That’s the combined percentage of top…
Medicaid administrative burden hits providers
Administrative burden is one of the strongest predictors of whether providers remain in Medicaid, according to a recent provider survey. Overall, 28% of providers report dissatisfaction with Medicaid administrative processes, and only 51% say they are satisfied, according to the survey from Gainwell Technologies, a Medicaid program consulting firm. The findings point to a growing…