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: 

Ruling creates uncertainty for states’ Medicaid work rules

The governor whose state is at the center of the fight over work requirements for Medicaid recipients said Thursday he wants to fight a judge’s ruling blocking those rules, while Republicans elsewhere are trying to determine the decision’s effect on their state.

Seattle Times

Friday, March 29, 2019 

Trump administration suffers another Obamacare blow in court

The Trump administration has lost another Obamacare legal battle — its second this week — just as the president has revived his drive to destroy and replace the 2010 health law.

Politico

Friday, March 29, 2019 

Centene to buy smaller rival WellCare Health Plans in deal worth $17.3 billion

Major U.S. health insurer Centene will purchase government-sponsored health-care provider WellCare Health Plans in a cash and stock deal valued at $17.3 billion.

USA Today

Friday, March 29, 2019 

Medicaid Expansion Boosts Hospital Bottom Lines — And Prices

The Medicaid expansion promoted by the Affordable Care Act was a boon for St. Mary’s Medical Center, the largest hospital in western Colorado. Since 2014, the number of uninsured patients it served dropped by more than half, saving the nonprofit hospital more than $3 million a year.

Kaiser Health News

Wednesday, March 27, 2019 

Purdue Pharma settles with Oklahoma in landmark opioid lawsuit

Purdue Pharma and the state of Oklahoma have agreed to a $270 million settlement in a lawsuit that claims the illegal marketing of OxyContin helped lead to the opioid crisis.

The Hill

Wednesday, March 27, 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.