• Shutdown averted: Trump signs spending bill with funds for FDA, IHS—and declares national emergency over border wall

  February 18, 2019
  

  President Trump on Friday signed into law a bill that staved off another partial government shutdown by funding FDA, the Indian Health Service, and other federal agencies through fiscal year 2019—and he simultaneously declared a national emergency in an effort to free up additional funding for fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

• The 8 top health systems for innovation, according to 300+ health care leaders

  February 18, 2019
  

  In a recent survey of 341 hospital and health system leaders by Reaction Data, the Mayo Clinic was named the best "model for innovation," while Kaiser Permanente was named the best at "delivering high quality sustainable costs."

• Charted: Racial disparities in cancer are narrowing—but gaps persist

  February 18, 2019
  

  Disparities in cancer incidence and mortality between blacks and whites have significantly narrowed since 1990, but blacks continue to "bear a disproportionate share of the cancer burden," according to a report by the American Cancer Society published Thursday.

• Identical twins, identical DNA results—right? Not necessarily.

  February 18, 2019
  

  Identical twins Charlsie and Carly Agro bought home ancestry DNA kits from five major testing companies and got differing results, showing how DNA testing is not always an exact science.

• Texas' plan to fight 'surprise' medical bills has yielded 'quick results' (but also a 4,000-case backlog)

  February 18, 2019
  

  As so-called "surprise" medical bills continue to shock patients across the nation, the Texas Department of Insurance has developed a program to help patients appeal their bills—yielding results for consumers but also creating a booming backlog of cases.

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• Trump might stop cost-sharing reduction payments. What would that mean?

  August 7, 2017
  

  President Trump has repeatedly threatened to halt payments that reimburse insurers for reducing out-of-pocket costs for low-income enrollees on the Affordable Care Act's exchanges. Here's what you need to know about the payments and what could happen if Trump halts them.

• Amid uncertainty on health care reform, three insurers announce exchange exits

  August 4, 2017
  

  The insurers say uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act's cost-sharing reduction payments are a reason for their exits from exchange markets in California, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

• Insurers attribute proposed 2018 premium increases to ACA uncertainty, KFF finds

  August 10, 2017
  

  Larry Levitt, a senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, says, "In most of the country, the [individual health insurance] market would be stable if not for significant uncertainty about what the ...Trump administration will do."

• US News names 152 'Best Hospitals'

  August 8, 2017
  

  Mayo Clinic tops U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" for the second year in a row.

• ACA repeal has been declared 'dead' countless times. What would really mean it's failed?

  August 1, 2017
  

  The conventional wisdom is that under Senate rules, the GOP's effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act will be officially "dead" if it doesn't pass by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. But a former Senate parliamentarian tells American Health Line that things aren't so simple.

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