1. A federal judge approved a $2.8 billion settlement resolving antitrust claims brought by healthcare providers against the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and its independent entities, ending more than a decade of litigation.
The settlement was approved Aug. 19 and covers a class of millions of hospitals, physician practices, and other providers nationwide who accused BCBS of conspiring to divide up markets to avoid competing with one another, which allegedly drove up costs and reduced reimbursements.
2. The Trump administration is rolling out a Medicaid enrollment oversight initiative that will direct states to remove individuals who cannot verify their citizenship or immigration status. CMS said it has started providing states with reports identifying Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries whose status could not be confirmed through federal databases, such as the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE system.
3. UnitedHealth Group has completed its acquisition of home health and hospice provider Amedisys in a deal valued at $101 per share in cash. UnitedHealth originally announced its intent to acquire Baton Rouge, La.-based Amedisys in 2023 for about $3.3 billion.
4. Employers are expecting a median healthcare cost increase of 10% in 2026, according to a survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
5. CMS is proposing a five-year experiment that would allow state Medicaid programs and Medicare Part D plans to cover GLP-1s for weight management on a voluntary basis. Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound would be included in the program, along with Eli Lilly’s oral GLP-1, Orforglipron, if it’s approved next year.
