The Gist Healthcare Podcast

New legislation introduced this week in the US Senate would make ACA expanded subsidies permanent. Employers expect an increase in per employee healthcare benefit spend in 2025, according to a new survey. And, EHR giant Epic sued over allegations of anticompetitive business practices. We’ll get that story and more coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast.

A bill introduced in Congress would exempt some smaller drugmakers from the Medicare drug price negotiation process. The Federal Trade Commission sues the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers over the cost of insulin.  And, consumers will be able to self-administer a nasal flu vaccine next year. We’ll get that story—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

A move to extend pandemic-era telehealth and hospital-at-home flexibilities passes out of a key Congressional committee.  Another major health insurer plans to scale back their Medicare Advantage offerings for the upcoming plan year.  And, drug overdose deaths in the US are declining rapidly, according to data from the CDC. We’ll get that story--and more--coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast.

The Health Resources and Services Administration threatens sanctions against Johnson & Johnson over the company’s decision to change how hospitals are provided 340B discounts on some prescription drugs.  And, a summer surge of COVID infections could be abating...We’ll get that story—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

Rural hospitals are reportedly not taking advantage of free help from technology companies. A major pharmacy benefit manager sues the Federal Trade Commission over a recent...damning report of the business.  And, a new survey indicates that the physician shortage could be getting worse. We’ll get that story—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

UnitedHealthcare unveils a new “gold card” program for providers to make the prior authorization process more efficient. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services suspends two ACA platforms over concerns that foreign entities had access to consumer information. And, the FDA OKs the first over-the-counter hearing aid software for use with Apple Air Pods. We’ll get that story—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

Healthcare was a hot topic during this week’s presidential debate...especially the past and potential future of the Affordable Care Act. The data of nearly 1 million Medicare beneficiaries could have been exposed to hackers through a software vulnerability discovered last year. And, hospitals experienced a slight labor rebound in August. Those stories and more coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast.

The Biden Administration finalizes new mental health parity rules for insurers. A large-scale study suggests that the active ingredient in the blockbuster weight loss medicine Ozempic reduced the risk of severe COVID reactions among patients with obesity. And, we’ll get some more top news in heathcare. That's coming up on today's episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast.

Several high-ranking executives at Walgreens are being sued by a shareholder as the retail pharmacy’s stock price continues to drop. Humana will exit 13 Medicare Advantage marketplaces ahead of the 2025 plan year.  And, we’ll get some more top healthcare news headlines. That’s coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast.