142,300 people — mostly children under 5 years old — died from measles in 2018, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
The big picture: Cases of the vaccine-preventable infection continue to spike around the world. Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Madagascar, Liberia and Somalia had the highest incidence rates of the infection in 2018.
Americans spent $3.65 trillion on health care in 2018 — 4.6% more than the year before. That growth also was higher than the 4.2% rate from 2017, according to revised figures from independent federal actuaries.
Between the lines: U.S. health care spending climbed again not because people went to the doctor or hospital more frequently, but because the industry charged higher prices. And private health insurers didn't do a particularly good job negotiating lower rates.
Hospitals sued the Trump administration yesterday over its requirement that they disclose their negotiated rates, the latest of the industry's moves to protect itself from policy changes that could hurt its revenues.
Why it matters: Hospitals account for the largest portion of U.S. health costs — which patients are finding increasingly unaffordable.
Physician staffing firm TeamHealth sent thousands of surprise medical bills to patients in 2017, a strategy used to obtain higher payment rates from insurers, according to a letter from the company sent to a group of senators in March, which was obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: These bills can be unaffordable for the small portion of TeamHealth's patients who receive them, and the subsequently high in-network rates raise premiums for everyone.
A consortium of hospitals has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that a new rule — which will require hospitals in 2021 to publicly post prices that are negotiated with health insurers — is unconstitutional and unlawful federal overreach.
Why it matters: This lawsuit was expected, but solidifies how the hospital industry is opposed to any regulation that would force them to reveal confidential prices.
