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:

Google nabs ex-Obama official DeSalvo for new chief health role

Google has hired ex-Obama administration official Karen DeSalvo as its first chief health officer, further solidifying its investment in the $3.5 trillion industry by rounding out its healthcare team.

Healthcare Dive

Friday, October 18, 2019

Whistleblower Alleges Medicare Fraud At Iconic Seattle-Based Health Plan

Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, one of the nation’s oldest and most respected nonprofit health insurance plans, is accused of bilking Medicare out of millions of dollars in a federal whistleblower case.

Kaiser Health News

Friday, October 18, 2019

Surprise Settlement In Sutter Health Antitrust Case

Sutter Health has reached a tentative settlement agreement in a closely watched antitrust case brought by self-funded employers, and later joined by the California Attorney General’s Office.

Kaiser Health News

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Medicare, Medicaid hospital payment cuts to hit $252.6B, industry study finds

Reductions in federal payments to hospitals will total $252.6 billion from 2010 through 2029, reflecting the cumulative impact of a series of legislative and regulatory actions, according to a new study from Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, a health economics and policy consulting firm.

Healthcare Dive

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

New study: Full-scale 'Medicare for All' costs $32 trillion over 10 years

The study from the Urban Institute and the Commonwealth Fund found $32.01 trillion in new federal revenue would be needed to pay for the plan, highlighting the immense cost of a proposal at the center of the health care debate raging in the presidential race.

The Hill

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

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.