News

The House Dec. 17 passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act (H.R. 6703), legislation to expand association health plans, increase transparency requirements for pharmacy benefit managers, and fund cost-sharing reductions for some Health Insurance Marketplace enrollees.

The Department of Health and Human Services Dec. 18 announced three regulatory actions related to the practice of “sex-rejecting procedures” on children. 

The AHA Dec. 17 urged Elevance Health, which is the parent company of the Anthem brand of health plans, to rescind Anthem’s nonparticipating provider policy that is set to go into effect Jan. 1, citing the harm it will inflict on patients.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Dec. 18 that it will launch a voluntary payment model designed to broadly reach more health care providers who have not joined accountable care organizations, including those with specialized patient populations and others such as small, independent or rural-based practices.

The AHA has released its 2026 Environmental Scan, a comprehensive resource designed to help hospitals and health systems navigate a rapidly evolving landscape.

The American Organization for Nursing Leadership Dec. 18 announced Robyn Begley as the 2026 recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a memo Dec. 16 announcing the agency’s intent to conduct a voluntary pilot in 2026, called the Service Level Data Collection for Initial Determinations and Appeals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Dec. 16 that it adopted individual-based decision-making for parents deciding whether to give the hepatitis B vaccine, including the birth dose, to infants born to women who test negative for the virus.

Depression and anxiety can increase the risk of a major adverse cardiac event, according to an American Heart Association study published Dec. 17.

As part of the AHA’s stress and coping resources, Zelia Baugh, JPS Health Network senior vice president of behavioral health, and April Jastrzab, JPS behavioral health director, write about how self-care is vital to the health care workforce, especially during the holiday season.

The AHA, in partnership with Press Ganey, Dec. 16 released the third in a series of workbooks leaders can use to understand and overcome challenges in engaging their workforce.

An AHA blog examines new data released by the Health Resources and Services Administration on the growth of the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

The American Medical Association Dec. 16 released its latest annual report on health insurance competition, finding that 97% of commercial markets were highly concentrated in 2024.

One of the most rewarding parts of being an AHA member and serving on the board is building relationships with other leaders who share a passion for making health better.

The AHA’s newest United Against the Flu social media toolkit for spreading awareness of the flu and flu vaccine resources focuses on the importance of getting vaccinated as people travel to celebrate the holiday season.

More than 100 members of Congress signed a letter submitted Dec. 12 to the Department of Education on concerns about the department’s proposal to omit post-baccalaureate nursing degrees from the regulatory definition of “professional degree” as part of a student loan rule.

Approximately 950,000 consumers who currently do not have health insurance coverage through the federally facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace have signed up for a 2026 health plan, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Dec. 5.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dec. 15 published the Measures Under Consideration List for 2025. These are measures that CMS is considering adopting through the federal rulemaking process for use in Medicare programs.

The White House Dec. 11 issued an executive order to establish a national artificial intelligence framework to preempt state regulation. The order calls for the creation of an AI Litigation Task Force to challenge state laws that may be unconstitutional or otherwise unlawful.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dec. 11 released a report that found last year’s version of the COVID-19 vaccine was 76% effective in preventing emergency department or urgent care visits for children ages 9 months to 4 years.