News
Report identifies 3 UPMC hospitals at risk of closure from Medicaid cuts
8+ hour, 59+ min ago (384+ words) Three UPMC hospitals in Southwestern Pennsylvania are at risk for closure as cuts to Medicaid go into effect, according to a new report from consumer watchdog Public Citizen. UPMC Mercy, UPMC Mc Keesport and UPMC Greene were among the 446 U. S. hospitals…...
Acquisition, not merger: WVU Health System moves to take control of Independence Health's workers, debt
5+ mon, 1+ day ago (672+ words) WVU Health System will acquire the facilities, employees " and debt load " from Independence Health when the two entities are officially joined in the second half of next year, according to hospital officials. It also will gain access to what Independence…...
Independence Health continues to narrow operating losses
3+ mon, 55+ min ago (369+ words) Hefty losses have slowed for Independence Health System in the months leading up to its acquisition by West Virginia University Health System. The five-hospital network said Wednesday its operating losses fell to $7. 3 million in the second half of last year,…...
Deadline for 2026 health insurance through Pennie is almost here
3+ mon, 6+ day ago (397+ words) Pennsylvanians still searching for a 2026 health insurance plan are running out of time to secure it through the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment on Pennie, the state's Obamacare marketplace, ends just before midnight Jan. 31. Pennie officials had extended the deadline…...
Poor insurance reimbursements place Pa. hospitals at risk of closure, report says
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (315+ words) Insufficient insurance reimbursements could drive more than a dozen Pennsylvania hospitals to close within five years, according to a report released Wednesday by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. The industry group hired consultancy Oliver Wyman to create the…...
Editorial: Health insurance costs drive benefit cut in Westmoreland County
3+ mon, 4+ week ago (350+ words) The rising cost of health insurance " and how to pay for it " is a question many families are debating around kitchen tables, strained checkbooks close at hand. Westmoreland County leaders are confronting that same reality. The county salary board, composed…...
Westmoreland slashes benefits for retired workers
4+ mon, 1+ hour ago (437+ words) Westmoreland County's salary board on Monday rescinded a policy that allowed nonunion employees to receive health benefits after retirement, a move officials said could save taxpayers up to $3. 5 million annually. The three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, voted unanimously to…...
Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes
4+ mon, 4+ day ago (829+ words) NEW YORK " Enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight, cementing higher health costs for millions of Americans at the start of the new year....
Medicaid paid more than $207 million for dead people. A new law could help fix that
4+ mon, 1+ week ago (206+ words) WASHINGTON " Medicaid programs made more than $200 million in improper payments to health care providers between 2021 and 2022 for people who had already died, according to a new report from the independent watchdog for the Department of Health and Human Services. But…...
Highmark announces affiliation with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (268+ words) Highmark is adding more than 1 million members through an affiliation with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, the health insurers announced Thursday. The deal, which is expected to close next year pending regulatory approval, will make Highmark the third…...