The merger of Wellmont Health System and Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) cleared its last hurdle on Jan. 31, as the Tennessee Department of Health issued the Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) allowing the deal to be completed.

Assessing value-based care will require streamlining Medicare regulations across its different programs, defining value and measuring for it, according to the American Medical Group Association (AMGA).

Healthcare policy was not the main focus of President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address, though the Jan. 30 speech did include mentions of lowering prescription drug prices, fighting opioid addiction and an endorsement of “right-to-try” legislation being considered by Congress.

The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate to have health insurance was repealed through the tax cut legislation signed into law late in 2017—but according to a new poll from Kaiser Family Foundation, most Americans either weren’t sure it was repealed or incorrectly believe it remains in place.

Less than two weeks after Kentucky became the first state approved to implement work requirements for its “able-bodied” Medicaid beneficiaries, a lawsuit has been filed against HHS and CMS alleging the plan is “an abuse” of the agencies’ regulatory powers.

The stopgap spending measure funding the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years while delaying taxes on medical devices and health insurance. 

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, is asking for an investigation into allegations that CMS Administrator Seema Verma, MPH, has violated her ethics agreement by being involved with Medicaid waivers submitted by states she once counted as clients for her consulting firm.

The opening of a “religious freedom” division within the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) could just be the beginning of moves by new officials within the department to align health policy with the goals of evangelical religious groups.