Latest on the Blue Cross Blue Shield settlement: Numbers revealed on filed claims, opt-outs (updated)
Oct. 8 update The lead attorneys for the class of plaintiffs in the Blue Cross Blue Shield provider litigation are highlighting portions of the judge’s final approval of the $2.8 billion settlement, saying his comments should provide reassurance about the ability to bring future litigation against the Blues. Per the settlement terms, participants cannot sue…
Trump’s big bill’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder
HFMA Senior Editor Nick Hut talks with policy directors Shawn Stack and Andrew Donahue about the hospital impact of the Big Beautiful Bill. Garett Jackson from Intuitive Health talks about a hybrid emergency department/urgent care model to cut down on ED overuse.
HHS restructuring and the federal budget
HFMA’s Nick Hut and Shawn Stack talk about the latest from Washington.
What DOGE’s actions mean for U.S. healthcare
HFMA Senior Editor Rich Daly talks about his hfm cover story about DOGE and the healthcare industry. HFMA’s Nick Hut and Shawn Stack talk about the 340B drug pricing program.
2025-2026 healthcare policies timeline
The Trump administration and the Republican-led Congress have launched a flurry of healthcare initiatives and proposals since their first days. To help readers keep track of the wave of initiatives, below is a timeline of federal actions and our related coverage. All dates below are for 2025, unless marked “2026.” Executive Actions Jan. 17: Trump…
DOGE has plans for HHS. Here’s what could happen next.
Nick Hut and Shawn Stack discuss DOGE cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services and what they could mean for patients and providers.
New processes for Medicare patient-status appeals have arrived, with implications for finance teams (updated)
If they have not done so already, hospitals should establish processes for responding to new regulations concerning status-appeal rights for Medicare beneficiaries. The regulations have taken effect in early 2025 after being published in an October 2024 final rule. That rule stemmed from the outcome of litigation that had begun 15 years earlier. Per the…
Healthcare developments in a second Trump term
Nick Hut and Shawn Stack discuss early developments in healthcare policy now that Donald Trump has taken office for a second time.
News Briefs: Senate hearing on Steward Health Care depicts consequences of hospital management decisions
After the CEO of Steward Health Care, Ralph de la Torre, MD, rebuffed a subpoena to appear Sept. 12 at a Senate committee hearing, members and invited panelists used the occasion to bemoan the company’s hospital ownership record and the private equity (PE) healthcare model. When de la Torre spurned the summons to appear before…
HHS concedes defeat in litigation over providers’ use of tracking technologies on websites
The hospital lobby cemented its victory in litigation about online tracking tools after HHS canceled its planned appeal. In June, the American Hospital Association (AHA) and co-plaintiffs won a decision in a Texas federal court about 2022 guidance (revised and somewhat softened in 2024) instructing hospitals and other HIPAA-covered entities to avoid using online tracking…