MEDICARE:  

CMS Final Rule On Broker Comp, Health Equity Could Shake Up Medicare Advantage 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized a host of actions ranging from broker compensation, health equity, mental health, supplemental benefits and biosimiliars, in the Contract Year 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D final rule Thursday night. 

Technical experts and industry execs warned the changes will be consequential for MA plans. 

READ MORE: 
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

5 things to know about health insurance contract negotiations 

Providence’s first focus is our patients. We know you rely on Providence to keep you and your family healthy. Every day we are hard at work to make care more accessible and affordable for everyone we serve.  

Yet, we face serious challenges. Health systems across the country and in our community, including Providence, are experiencing rapidly rising costs of care caused by inflation, labor shortages, wage increases and supply disruption. Additional financial stressors include SB 1953, California’s seismic requirements, and SB 525, which increases minimum wage for health care workers to $25 per hour by June 2026. 

READ MORE: 
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GROUP BENEFITS 

The Power of Water 

Our bodies are splendidly intricate, automating countless processes to maintain our well-being. Water, a key player, makes up about 60% of our body weight and is involved in almost every bodily function, from digestion to regulating body temperature. Without adequate hydration, our systems stumble. Dehydration can lead to headaches, lethargy, and, in the most severe cases, organ failure. Treated as casually as it often is, water is among the most crucial nutrients for our survival.

READ MORE:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

California Doctors Struggle To Make Payroll One Month After Ransomware Attack 

For a month now Sacramento dermatologist Dr. Margaret Parsons has been unable to submit insurance claims to get paid for services provided. 

All of her private practice’s claims go through Change Healthcare, the country’s largest network for insurance billing and the subject of a Feb. 21 cyberattack that has yet to be fully resolved. 

Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, processes roughly half of all medical claims nationwide.  Four weeks since the cyberattack, some providers in California and elsewhere are still waiting to file claims and get reimbursed. In the meantime, they’re scrambling to pay bills and order medical supplies. 

READ MORE: 
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Database You Don’t Want To Need: Check To See If Your Health Data Was Hacked 

More than 144 million Americans’ medical information was stolen or exposed last year in a record-breaking number of health care data breaches, a USA TODAY analysis of Health and Human Services data found. 

After breaking records in 2023, the most significant breach hit in February when a ransomware attack targeted Change Healthcare, the nation’s largest health care payment system owned by UnitedHealth Group. The company handles a third of all patient records and processes 15 billion health care transactions a year, according to an HHS letter. 

READ MORE: 
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dietary Choices Are Linked to Higher Rates of Preeclampsia Among Latinas 

For pregnant Latinas, food choices could reduce the risk of preeclampsia, a dangerous type of high blood pressure, and a diet based on cultural food preferences, rather than on U.S. government benchmarks, is more likely to help ward off the illness, a new study shows. 

Researchers at the USC Keck School of Medicine found that a combination of solid fats, refined grains, and cheese was linked to higher rates of preeclampsia among a group of low-income Latinas in Los Angeles. By contrast, women who ate vegetables, fruits, and meals made with healthy oils were less likely to develop the illness. 

READ MORE:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

INDUSTRY CALENDAR: 

2024 CONFERENCES  

• May 13-15, CAHIP Capital Summit @Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, Sacramento, Register

• June 23-26, Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM24) Annual Conference and Expo @Chicago, Register

APRIL   

•  April 18 @10:00am-4:00pm 2024 CAHIP-Golden Gate Symposium @Lafayette Veterans Memorial Center, Register

• April 18 @ 2:00pm: SAHU Vanguard Cornhole 2024 @Le Five 11115 Folsom Blvd, STE 200, Rancho Cordova, CA, Register

• April 18 @5:30pm-8:30pm NAIFA Los Angeles 1st Annual Pathway to Excellence Awards,Register 

• April 22 @ 10:00am-7:00am: CAHIP LA 27th Annual Take a Swing Fore the Cure Charity Golf Classic @ Aliso Viejo Country Club, Register

• April 25 @9:30 AM – 12:30 PM, Covered California Outreach and Sales hosting annual Special Enrollment Period 2024 Workshops for enrollment partners and stakeholders, Register

• April 26 @2-6PM Dance Showdown @Four Points by Sheraton 8110 Aero Dr, San Diego, Register

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________