A surge of dengue cases in North and South America is on track to make 2024 the worst year yet for the mosquito-borne virus as Puerto Rico scrambles to contain an outbreak.
The big picture: The combination of climate change and El Niño are fueling conditions allowing the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoto spread earlier than usual and in new areas, according to the World Health Organization.
Enrolling in Medicaid and staying on the program's rolls is about to get easier under a streamlined process the Biden administration finalized on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The changes are expected to increase Medicaid enrollment by about 1.3 million people when fully implemented in 2028.
Even as financial conditions improve at health systems across the U.S., a rash of recent stories about layoffs or unit closures underscore a complex picture for the industry.
Why it matters: High inflation, worsening reimbursement and increasingly fierce competition for outpatient services are challenging the post-COVID rebound hospitals are hoping for as patients seek delayed care.
Former President Trump's recent promise not to cut entitlement programs is notably silent on Medicaid — but GOP ambitions for shrinking the safety-net health care program could risk backlash similar to the party's Obamacare repeal debacle.
Why it matters: Republicans who argue Medicaid has grown far too large are eyeing steep cuts to the program should the party win full control of Washington in November.
The federal process for resolving billing disputes for out-of-network care has to date yielded payouts well above what Medicare and most in-network private insurers would pay providers, according to a new Brookings Institution analysis provided first to Axios.
Why it matters: That could lead to downstream effects like higher premiums — quite the opposite of what Congress intended when it passed a law banning surprise medical bills in 2020.
More states are jumping in to shield patients from large, unexpected bills for ambulance rides in the absence of federal protections.
Why it matters: Ground ambulances are a major source of surprise bills, and it's unlikely Congress will pursue nationwide protections anytime soon after excluding them from the landmark No Surprises Act in 2020.
