Two Senate Democrats have asked CMS and HHS to make a last-minute extension of the open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s insurance exchanges, arguing the Dec. 15 deadline will leave too many interested customers either without health coverage or automatically enrolled into plans which “may no longer be the best choice for their families.”

With Republicans in Congress confident they’ll pass a tax cut bill before the end of the year, the question of what their top legislative priority should be in 2018 is up for debate, with some favoring a focus on cuts to federal programs like Medicare.

Health insurers expect the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s individual mandate will make the individual insurance market worse, particularly for customers who don’t have employer-sponsored coverage but make too much money to receive subsidies to lower their premiums.

The repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate has been projected to cause insurance premiums to rise by an average of 10 percent through 2027. Those hikes would be mitigated, however, if Congress funded the ACA’s cost-sharing reduction subsidies and a $10 billion, two-year reinsurance program, according to an analysis from Avalere.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) suggested the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) pump the brakes on advocating for major changes to Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), saying any major shifts wouldn’t have “the benefit of data or experience” considering this is the program’s first performance year.

As cyberattack become increasingly common incidents, healthcare professionals must push security to the forefront. In a presentation given at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, Jim Whitfill, CMO of innovation Health Partners and president of Lumetis, described the current cybersecurity environment and detailed how professionals can take steps toward improving privacy.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, based her vote in favor of the Senate Republican tax cut plan on the promise Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, would back two bills to help the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, however, isn’t making the same commitment, according to The Hill.

The largest health insurers—UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Anthem, Cigna and Humana—are getting nearly 60 percent of their total combined revenue from Medicare and Medicaid plans, according to a Health Affairs study, with that money more than doubling since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed.