Friday Five: Top 5 healthcare business news items from the MCOL Weekend edition

Every business day, MCOL posts feature stories making news on the business of health care. Here are five we think are particularly important for this week:

Repeal Ripples: Five Obamacare Exchange Chiefs Contemplate An Uncertain Future

Kaiser Health News reports: The health insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act are in their third year of selling health insurance plans to people who don’t get insurance through work.

Kaiser Health News, January 27, 2017

Senators' ObamaCare replacement bills highlight GOP divide

The Hill reports: As House and Senate Republicans unveiled an aggressive plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act within the next three months, disagreement over two Senate bills introduced this week shows the stark divide within the party over a way forward.

The Hill, January 26, 2017

What President Trump's executive order means for hospitals & physicians: 14 key thoughts

Becker's Hospital Review reports: President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 to reduce the economic burden of the ACA. Fourteen academics and leaders of healthcare companies and hospitals discuss the executive order's implications on hospitals and physicians.

Becker's Hospital Review, January 24, 2017

Judge blocks major health insurance merger

Politico reports: A federal judge has blocked Aetna’s merger with Humana after finding that the health insurers’ $37 billion deal would leave seniors with fewer and costlier options for private Medicare coverage.

Politico, January 23, 2017

Lingering FTC concerns could stall $9.4B Walgreens-Rite Aid merger

Becker's Hospital Review reports: With the deadline fast approaching to close the merger between Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens Boots Alliance and Camp Hill, Pa.-based Rite Aid, Federal Trade Commission lawyers still have concerns about the transaction, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

Becker's Hospital Review, January 23, 2017

These and more weekly news items on the business of healthcare are featured in the MCOL Weekend edition, along with the MCOL Tidbits, and more, for MCOL Premium level members.