An exclusive interview with Scott Steiner, CEO of Phoebe Putney—a nonprofit health system that serves Southwest Georgia. 

The coalition of plaintiffs—representing 19 states and Washington, D.C.—is challenging many of the changes made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which has since halted operations. State governments argue that HHS is no longer performing its constitutionally required duties. The agency’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit was rejected this week.

Ben Sasse is showing the effects of the terminal pancreatic cancer he was diagnosed with late last year. Yet he’s still in good spirits and his mental energy remains high. 

The policy shift by Aetna to reimburse hospital stays of fewer than five days as outpatient observation encounters went into effect in January. The insurer implemented the policy to reduce friction with hospitals that previously had to seek approval for inpatient reimbursement, which was often denied. Jefferson Health is challenging the changes in court.

Employees at a 130-bed hospital whose home state lacks right-to-work protections are now free to work without having to join a powerful union that had sought to represent them. 

The state legislature is mulling over the passage of two bills: one that would eliminate Ballad’s status as a protected monopoly, and another that would remove the Certificate of Need, a barrier that forces healthcare entities to submit expansion proposals to regulators for approval. The issue, the FTC says, is related to timing. 

In its proposed budget for fiscal year 2027, President Donald Trump’s administration is floating a 10% cut to federal government spending across the board with one notable exception: The Department of War. For military and defense, the White House is seeking an additional 44%. 

Republicans are said to be considering cuts to cost-sharing programs through the Affordable Care Act as a means to save money and fund the U.S. Department of War, which is looking for $200 billion to cover not only the conflict in Iran but also domestic immigration enforcement.

In a complaint filed in federal court, the U.S. Department of Justice claims NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital uses its power of “scale, breadth and configuration” to control payer contracts, making it difficult for insurers to develop low-cost plans. The health system denies any wrongdoing.

Ohio State University College of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine and UC San Diego School of Medicine all received letters this week where federal authorities are requesting details related to admissions, including standardized test scores, donor correspondence and more. The schools say they are already compliant with state and federal regulations.