Another regulator has cleared the way for the $69 billion deal between CVS Health and Aetna, as California approved the deal—with conditions.

Expanded benefits could include paying for housing among Medicaid beneficiaries, according to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, who spoke about the impact of social determinants of health during a speech with the Hatch Foundation for Civility and Solutions on Nov. 14.

Healthcare costs around the country vary across settings and services, and the same is true for Medicare Advantage, which is expected to grow to 22.6 million members in 2019.

A philanthropist has given $200 million to Mayo Clinic in what is the largest-ever donation to the nonprofit hospital system.

On the surface, hospital mergers may seem like an opportunity to create benefits for consumers, including more resources for top-notch care and lower costs. However, cheaper prices aren’t a likely outcome, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

CMS sent state Medicaid directors an email on Nov. 13 announcing new opportunities to design service delivery systems for treating mental health. The announcement eases previous prohibitions against using Medicaid funding to pay for short-term residential treatment in an institution for mental disease.

Envision Healthcare has reached a new statewide agreement with Cigna Healthcare of Arizona. The multiyear agreement ensures Envision’s clinicians are in-network.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, has signaled that the agency will strengthen its expanded access (EA) program to enable more patients to access investigational medical products and treatments for serious or life-threatening diseases.