Medicare & Medicaid
Two cases emerged from whistleblower claims about improper billing related to discounted drug prices and insulin pens.
Hospitals named in the suit include Vanderbilt Medical Center, Atrium Health, Rush University Medical Center, Ochsner Clinic Foundation and Montefiore Health System.
Also, seven new insurers join America's Health Insurance Plans including Bright Health; CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.
CMS' renewed interest in mandatory bundled payments includes the possibility of additional participation for oncology and other providers.
Spending for retail prescription drugs reached $333.4 billion in 2017, and those rising costs represent 10 percent of overall healthcare spend.
Arizona is the first state to exempt members of federally-recognized tribes.
The Medicare population is estimated to have the highest and fastest growing prevalence of opioid use disorder in the U.S.
CMS also updates Medicare Advantage value-based insurance design, offering more benefits to attract beneficiaries and increase competition.
Agency instead offers insurers a reduction in user fees for participating in the Affordable Care Act market.
Low out-of-pocket costs, prescription drug coverage and in-network access to providers were some of the factors.