Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research
All News
156
Results based on your selections.
The New Yorker
The Gilded Age of Medicine Is Here
This article dives into the controversial world of private equity in healthcare, where profit-driven strategies lead to higher patient costs and declining care quality. This article examines real examples, from staffing cuts to surprise billing, and explores how these changes threaten physician autonomy and the stability of U.S. healthcare.
Hospital payment caps could save millions of dollars for state employee health plans
This news article offers continued coverage on the impact of hospital payment caps and the potential for nationwide savings, based on the Health Affairs study led CAHPR researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health.
Hospital Payment Caps Could Safely Save Millions
This news article provides continued coverage of the study by CAHPR researchers on hospital payment caps, and it's potential for saving billions without harming hospital finances.
California’s Failed Bid To Regulate Private Equity Investment In Health Care
The article examines California’s failed attempt to regulate private equity investments in healthcare through AB 3129, which proposed stricter transaction oversight and protections against corporate control of medical practices. It critiques the bill’s limited scope, exemptions, and political challenges while positioning it as a case study for future state-level reforms in addressing healthcare consolidation.
Hospital billing practices won billions in extra payments, study finds
This article highlights a study by Christopher Whaley showing how hospitals have received billions in extra payments by documenting care at higher levels of complexity than expected. This practice, known as "upcoding," raises concerns about the incentives in current payment systems and their impact on rising healthcare costs.
Congress’ critical opportunity to reshape health care
The article written by CAHPR researchers, emphasizes the opportunity for Congress, in its final weeks of the 118th session, to advance healthcare affordability and transparency through the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (LCMT) and the Health Care PRICE Transparency Act 2.0
UnitedHealth Group's insurance arm, UnitedHealthcare, pays its own Optum physician practices significantly higher rates than other providers in the same markets, driving up costs for consumers and employers while enriching itself. This practice highlights the conflicts of interest and anti-competitive effects of vertical integration in healthcare, raising calls for regulatory intervention.
Health system ownership with Hayden Rooke-Ley
Is Medicare Advantage improving healthcare efficiency or creating higher costs that favor insurers? Hayden Rooke-Ley explores its rapid expansion, questions about cost and care quality, and the challenges of implementing effective regulations.
Oregon regulators plan deep dive on OHSU-Legacy merger: 6 things to know
This article outlines six key points about Oregon's regulatory review of the OHSU-Legacy merger. Hayden Rooke-Ley's critique of the OHSU-Legacy merger, emphasizing how OHSU's broad market definition may obscure significant anticompetitive risks, presenting a critical test for Oregon's Health Care Market Oversight program.
The Sickest Patients Are Fleeing Private Medicare Plans—Costing Taxpayers Billions
An increasing number of Medicare Advantage patients, especially those in their final year of life, are switching to traditional Medicare, leading to a significant cost shift from private insurers to taxpayers.
OHSU-Legacy merger: Regulators explore antitrust concerns
This article examines the Oregon Health Authority's comprehensive review of the proposed merger between OHSU and Legacy Health, highlighting key concerns about market concentration, potential cost increases, and the future of health care access and competition in the region.
Private Medicare plans collect billions for care veterans are actually getting from VA
This article explores a study led by Brown University researchers on the billions in potentially redundant payments Medicare Advantage plans receive for veterans primarily cared for by the VA, despite industry claims, like those from UnitedHealthcare, that these payments reflect actual costs.
Medicare Advantage insurers fear losing millions over a few bad phone calls
This article examines lawsuits from Medicare Advantage insurers, who claim minor customer service issues threaten millions in bonuses, while experts like Brown University's David Meyers argue that these cases reveal deeper flaws in a rating system that overstates plan quality without accurately reflecting patient care.
Are Democrats Even a Little Serious About Stopping Private Equity?
The article exposes Ralph de la Torre's misuse of private equity-backed Steward Health for personal gain while highlighting the broader issue of private equity's damaging impact on healthcare, with legislative efforts for reform largely stymied by political and lobbying pressures.
The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms
This article explores how private equity firms have taken control of many U.S. emergency rooms, prioritizing profit by reducing physician hours, replacing doctors with less qualified staff, and inflating costs, resulting in compromised patient care and increased bills, despite regulatory efforts like the No Surprises Act.
Hospital Payment Caps: ‘Band Aid’ or Promising Cost-Control Solution?
This article explores the study done by Brown researchers on the imapct of Oregon's hospital payment cap and how other US states have an opportunity to implement similar control measures to achieve health savings.
The FTC's Noncompete Rule: Legal Challenges And Potential Solutions For Physician Markets
The FTC's nationwide ban on non-compete agreements, originally set to take effect on September 4, 2024, is now entangled in legal battles that challenge the agency's authority. This article explores the ongoing debates, highlighting the loopholes in the current rule, and prescribes potential policy solutions.
Medicare Advantage plans got ‘alarming’ break from the U.S. government a decade ago: Here’s why
A decade ago, CMS tried to rein in Medicare Advantage overbilling, only to withdraw amid industry pressure, now fueling a $2 billion fraud case against UnitedHealth. Newly released court documents expose the struggle to protect taxpayer dollars while navigating powerful industry pushback.
Hospital-SNF Integration and APM Participation
This article highlights a study published in JAMA Network Open that explores the impact of hospital-SNF (skilled nursing facility) integration on participation in alternative payment models (APMs), particularly focusing on the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI-A) program. The findings reveal that while integration influences APM participation, the effects are complex, pointing to broader implications for healthcare systems.
Price transparency is critical to fix nation’s health care model, Brown scholar tells Congress
Christopher Whaley testified before Congress, highlighting the urgent need of health care price transparency and its role in combating high healthcare costs in the US and enhancing policy decision-making.
Medicare payment parity key to saving independent physicians, Dr. Ashish Jha tells Congress
Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, addressed the House Committee on Ways and Means on why the U.S. is seeing a decline in private medical practices and what we can do about it.
What's Driving Healthcare Consolidation? The Answer May Surprise You
Healthcare consolidation is fueled by the need for pricing power and financial stability under value-based care, but experts warn this trend threatens competition and transparency, calling for stronger oversight and legislative action.
Private equity escapes FTC in court, but anesthesia group doesn’t
The PE firm, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe has been released from the ongoing case against U.S. Anesthesia Partners, for monopolization in Texas. What does this mean for PE firms and antitrust scrutiny?
Is Private Equity Ruining Health Care? It's Complicated
Is private equity good AND bad? Listen to experts including Dr. Yashaswini Singh talk about private equity with a nuanced approach.