CMS has issued a new guidance to limit the prevalence of spread pricing in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as part of a broader effort to lower prescription drug costs.

Rural hospitals are closing at a quick pace, leaving communities at a loss after sometimes long-standing institutions shutter their doors. In Fort Scott, Kan., the closure of a 132-year-old hospital had to be reckoned with, and the closure brings up the question of if small towns need a traditional hospital at all, NPR reported.

Forty-four U.S. states have joined together in a lawsuit against 20 drug manufacturers, accusing them of scheme to inflate drug prices and eliminate competition in the market, Reuters reported. The drugmakers are accused of jacking up the prices by more than 1,000% in some cases.

As the Trump administration looks for ways to reduce the burden on Americans when they receive a surprise medical bill, it could borrow ideas from New York, which approved legislation in 2014 that has safeguarded residents in the state from being hit with out-of-network charges.

With high compensation and a good work-life balance, Minnesota is the best state for physicians to thrive in 2019, according to a recent ranking from Medscape.

CVS Health is still embroiled in a dispute over its $69 billion merger with Aetna, which was approved by the Department of Justice last year and closed in late 2018. However, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon isn’t so sure the deal hasn’t crossed any antitrust laws and is reviewing the case in court.

Private health insurance plans, which cover the majority of people in the U.S., paid higher rates to hospitals compared to public plans such as Medicare and Medicaid, according to a recent report from RAND.

President Trump announced principles to address the issue of surprise billing in healthcare, the White House announced May 9.