Leapfrog accused of ‘pay-to-play’ scheme | TV writer’s company allegedly exploiting ACA | Republicans back off Medicaid cuts

Bloomberg writes about a company, Quick Health, run by a former comedy writer, who through a loophole in the law is accused of "hiring" members for fake jobs to enroll them in junk insurance policies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed on Tuesday that Medicaid cuts would be excluded from an upcoming spending bill, as both President Donald Trump and other Republicans in Congress opposed any reduction to funding. 

Five Tenet Healthcare hospitals are suing the Leapfrog Group, accusing the organization of pressuring hospitals to share internal data in exchange for higher scores in its annual safety rankings. The watchdog outright denies the claim. 

For the second time in less than two years, the struggling retail pharmacy chain has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, seeking buyers as it prepares for store closures.

State Attorney General Dana Nessel is suing Express Scripts and Prime Therapeutics, accusing the two PBMs of manipulating rebate pricing, "crippling small, independent pharmacies and restricting access to lifesaving medications in the process."

The states argue the Department of Health and Human Services is failing to perform basic functions, in violation of the Constitution, as the agency and its programs are authorized by Congress. 

UnitedHealth Group said it is seeking repayment of “interest-free” advances distributed to providers struggling during the shutdown of claims processing caused by the ransomware attack on Change Healthcare. 

Monoclonal antibody therapies will be the first drugs permitted to take advantage of alternatives, including advanced lab simulations and artificial intelligence. A pilot framework to phase out the decades-long requirement for animal testing will be rolled out in the coming year, the FDA said.

The specialty has seen significant growth in recent years, but a new analysis suggests that IR knowledge is still relatively limited outside the U.S.

The case dates to 2019, when 64-year-old David Gangaram visited a Long Island outpatient clinic for an image-guided lumbar epidural steroid injection.