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 Sicker and more expensive Medicaid enrollees who joined the program under Ohio's Medicaid expansion contributed to ProMedica's wider operating loss in the first quarter of 2019, the health system said recently. Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica's operating loss more than tripled during the quarter to $9.8 million, compared with $2.7 million in the first quarter of 2018.  

 In a rare but welcome moment of bipartisanship, Congress appears ready to pass legislation protecting U.S. consumers from the scourge of surprise medical bills. Such bills occur when patients lack insurance or have the misfortune of requiring services rendered by an out-of-network provider in emergency circumstances or at times when an in-network hospital has out-of-network physicians practicing at the facility 

 The Trump administration wants to force hospitals to disclose to patients how much they charge for all supplies, tests and procedures. A new proposal released Monday aims to make it easier for patients to shop around for the best price by forcing hospitals to disclose what are often secret rates negotiated with insurance companies. Under the policy, hospitals would be required to post online all charges for all items and services provided by the hospital beginning Jan. 1, 2020.  

 The Trump administration finalized a new rule recently that offers important opportunities for businesses, especially small employers, to offer more health coverage options for their workers and for employees to have much more flexibility and control over their healthcare dollars.
 

 Two of the biggest insurance industry groups have teamed up to advocate for policies related to surprise billing. America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association headline the Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing, which was formally unveiled recently. Other groups involved in the organization include the National Association of Health Underwriters and America’s Physician Groups.  

 Small nonprofits historically have barriers to employee healthcare and are eager for the government to create more policies that ensure their staff has coverage, a new study shows. In a recent report from People Keep, only 18% of nonprofits have offered a group health insurance policy.