The longest partial government shutdown in history has paused paychecks for roughly 800,000 workers and stalled the appeal process of a ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.

Rising costs in healthcare was a top issue for voters in the 2018 election, and more emphasis on the industry is likely to come, according to a 2019 outlook from Avalere.

The accountable care organization (ACO) industry is asking CMS for more time to apply for the reformed Medicare Shared Savings Program, but the new changes are likely to roll out whether ACOs are ready or not, according to a new report from Leavitt Partners.

The Trump administration is preparing to allow states to remodel their Medicaid programs with block grant proposals, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

The top city for healthcare mergers and acquisitions is Boston, according to an analysis by Mergermarket and Acuris.

The accountable care organization industry is asking for a later deadline to apply for CMS’ revamped Medicare Shared Savings Program.

The emergence of private equity funding across physician practices has continued into 2019, with these firms targeting high-value platforms that can turn around a nice profit in a sale just a few years later. The phenomenon has led to a decline in independent physician practices and created new implications for care services, according to an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The $69 billion merger between CVS Health and Aetna is facing another potential obstacle, as the government shutdown could impact court proceedings currently holding up closure of the deal, Reuters reported.