By Richard Stradling

by Reed Abelson and Rebecca Robbins

by Flynn Snyder

by Regan Butler

By Phil Galewitz and Samantha Liss

By Corrie Pikul

By Katie Palmer

by Chris Cumming

By Megan R. Wilson

By Maia Anderson

By Tara Bannow

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn

Part of the Axios Vitals Newsletter Maya Goldman, Tina Reed, and Peter Sullivan

by Cheryl Clark

by Nick Stonesifer

By Caitlin Owens

Read the quoted study: Arnold DR, Reddy M, Cantor J, et al. Private Equity in Autism Services. JAMA Pediatr. 2026;180(3):341-343. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.5443

By Christopher Snowbeck

by AHIP

By Maya Goldman

By Sarah Mueller

By Angelica Serrano-Roman

But are price controls the answer?

By Rowan Moore Gerety

by Michelle Crouch and Charlotte Ledger

By Cindy Krischer Goodman

Analysis by Rebecca Adams

by Pamela Ferdinand

By Jane Margolies

By HealthDay

by Shaanth Nanguneri

By Kristine de Leon

"New state laws tackle the burden of medical debt and the corporate take-over of medicine."

Meaningful opportunities to reduce U.S. health-care costs already exist but are often overshadowed by the focus on more politically prominent proposals.

The article explains how growing consolidation among insurers, hospitals, and physician groups is driving higher prices and fewer choices for patients, while current antitrust tools struggle to keep up with these increasingly complex mergers.

Researchers found UnitedHealthcare paid 17% more to Optum than to other providers.

Researchers said the results suggest UnitedHealth may be sidestepping government rules meant to keep a lid on exorbitant payer profits.

By Christopher Snowbeck

This article quotes Brown University researchers Chris Whaley and Roslyn Murray from the CAHPR, who explain that wide hospital price differences across Rhode Island stem less from care quality and more from market consolidation. Whaley noted that “there’s really not a strong relationship between price and quality,” while Murray pointed to “empire-building tactics” and consolidation that give large health systems leverage to raise prices and obscure transparency

This article discusses a Brown University study showing that commercial insurers pay nearly $1,500 more per procedure at hospital outpatient departments than at ambulatory surgical centers. The findings highlight large price variations across insurers and suggest opportunities for cost savings through selective contracting or site-neutral payment reforms.

Hospitals are discouraging infection testing to avoid Medicare penalties, a practice clinicians say jeopardizes patient safety and skews public reporting. As Brown University’s Andrew Ryan put it, “Basically, the measures are just really, really bad … this is honestly the worst” pay-for-performance program, underscoring deep flaws in how infection penalties are designed and enforced.

Republican lawmakers pressed for stricter oversight of nonprofit hospitals at a House hearing, arguing that many exploit tax exemptions while providing limited charity care. Witnesses, including Brown University’s Christopher Whaley, highlighted that current reporting structures obscure hospital-level community benefit, and urged stronger, more transparent requirements to ensure accountability.

In testimony before Congress, Brown University researcher Christopher Whaley revealed that many nonprofit hospitals reap massive financial benefits yet spend far less on community health than their tax exemptions are worth. With bipartisan concern mounting, Whaley urged reforms to ensure tax breaks translate into affordable, high-quality care for patients — not executive perks or stadium sponsorships.

This article reports on a Health Affairs study led by Brown University researchers analyzed over a decade of private equity acquisitions in opioid treatment programs across 43 states. The findings show that despite rapid growth in private equity ownership, there were no measurable improvements in methadone access, treatment expansion, or opioid-related mortality

A new Health Affairs study reveals that hundreds of urban hospitals have secured “Medicare administratively rural” status—unlocking benefits meant for rural communities. While CMS prepares to roll out its $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, the findings raise concerns about loopholes, misaligned incentives, and whether subsidizing facilities truly improves access for rural patients.

This article talks about a Health Affairs study led by researchers at CAHPR, University of Pittsburgh and the RAND Corporation on the current PE ownership of opioid treatment programs in the US. Despite acquiring large shares of the market, PE firms are not expanding access to methadone—leaving the treatment gap largely unchanged.

The proposed sale of two safety net hospitals — from private equity-backed Prospect Medical Holdings to the nonprofit Centurion Foundation — has been closely watched across the state. The Attorney General's updated terms for the sale reflect growing concern over the role of private equity in Rhode Island’s health care system.

Drugmakers are experimenting with direct-to-consumer sales in response to Trump’s push for lower drug prices, aiming to bypass traditional middlemen like PBMs. While the strategy could reshape how patients access medications, experts warn its impact on affordability, safety, and equity remains uncertain.

The article investigates how major drugmakers like Pfizer and Eli Lilly are paying telehealth companies millions of dollars to connect patients to providers, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest and violations of anti-kickback laws. While both companies deny influencing prescriptions, lawmakers and experts worry these partnerships may steer patients toward expensive branded drugs and allow pharma firms to collect detailed patient data.