With Flurry Of Mergers, Hospitals Are Building Muscle, But They Face Uphill Battle In Industry

Bloomberg: Hospitals Are Merging To Face Off With Insurers
A spate of hospital deals stands to further remake the U.S. health-care landscape, pushing up prices for consumers and insurers and changing how individuals get care. Just this month, health systems with at least 166 hospitals and $39 billion in combined annual revenue have announced merger plans. There’s likely more to come: The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Ascension and Providence St. Joseph Health, a pair of nonprofits that together have 191 hospitals and nearly $45 billion in annual revenue, are in deal talks. (Tracer, 12/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Despite Mergers, Hospitals Are In Serious Condition
American hospitals have a target on their backs. The latest merger talk is an attempt to rally their strength, but industry payers’ battle against high health-care costs shows no sign of letting up. Two major nonprofit hospital chains, Ascension and Providence St. Joseph Health, are in talks to combine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. A deal would create a chain of 191 hospitals in 27 states with annual revenue of about $45 billion. (Grant, 12/11)

In more national health care news —

NPR: Parents Worry Congress Won't Fund The Children's Health Insurance Program
It's a beautiful morning in Pittsburgh, but Ariel Haughton is stressed out. She's worried her young children's health insurance coverage will soon lapse. "So, we're like a low-middle-class family, right?" she says. "I'm studying. My husband's working, and our insurance right now is 12 percent of our income — just for my husband and I. And it's not very good insurance either." (Kodjak, 12/12)

The Washington Post: New CDC Head Faces Questions About Financial Conflicts Of Interest
After five months in office, President Trump’s new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been unable to divest financial holdings that pose potential conflicts of interest, hindering her ability to fully perform her job. Brenda Fitzgerald, 71, who served as the Georgia public health commissioner until her appointment to the CDC post in July, said she has divested from many stock holdings. But she and her husband are legally obligated to maintain other investments in cancer detection and health information technology, according to her ethics agreement, requiring Fitzgerald to pledge to avoid government business that might affect those interests. Fitzgerald provided The Post with a copy of her agreement. (Sun and Crites, 12/11)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Plans New Medical-Device Approval Processes
The Food and Drug Administration plans new medical-device approval processes to speed products’ entry to the U.S. market, mirroring the desires of industry and President Donald Trump to clear barriers to new business. FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who has long espoused speedier steps to promote innovation, in an interview called for “progressive,” or stepped, approvals of certain devices that would allow them to go to market with initial approvals, with further evidence to assess performance coming later. That would entail more risk to patients initially than current procedures where clinical trials or other evidence come before market launch. (Burton, 12/11)

NPR: Native Americans Feel Invisible In U.S. Health Care System
The life expectancy of Native Americans in some states is 20 years shorter than the national average. There are many reasons why. Among them, health programs for American Indians are chronically underfunded by Congress. And, about a quarter of Native Americans reported experiencing discrimination when going to a doctor or health clinic, according to findings of a poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (Whitney, 12/12)