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: Insurers, small businesses praise move to delay Obamacare health insurance tax After logging a victory in Congress to suspend a controversial Obamacare tax beginning in 2019, health insurers and small businesses are now setting their sights on 2020. Washington Examiner Thursday, May 24, 2018 Pfizer Settles Kickback Case Related To Copay Assistance For $24M Pfizer will pay the government nearly $24 million as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that it funneled money through a foundation resulting in illegal kickbacks. Kaiser Health News Thursday, May 24, 2018 Drugmakers Blamed For Blocking Generics Have Jacked Up Prices And Cost U.S. Billions Makers of brand-name drugs called out by the Trump administration for potentially stalling generic competition have hiked their prices by double-digit percentages since 2012 and cost Medicare and Medicaid nearly $12 billion in 2016, a Kaiser Health News analysis has found. Kaiser Health News Wednesday, May 23, 2018 Insurance Consolidation May Soon Include Hospitals, Create Powerhouses The continued market consolidation and efforts to create an “all-in-one” approach to healthcare insurance customers may lead to carriers acquiring large hospital networks, particularly if the CVS-Aetna transaction proves to be successful and profitable, one analyst says. HealthLeaders Media Wednesday, May 23, 2018 Kaiser Permanente commits $200M to reduce homelessness Kaiser Permanente is teaming up with mayors of a number of American cities to fight housing insecurity and homelessness. The Oakland, California-based integrated health system said late last week it will invest up to $200 million. Healthcare Dive Tuesday, May 22, 2018 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.