CMS on Tuesday issued a proposed rule that would increase Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system rates by a net 2.4% in calendar year 2026 compared to 2025. This includes a proposed 3.2% market basket update, offset by a 0.8 percentage point cut for productivity.
Genesis HealthCare officials said the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing will allow the company to restructure its debt while maintaining operations at its facilities. The healthcare operator, with 175 properties in 18 states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday in the Northern District of Texas, listing more than $1.5 million in unsecured debt to creditors in missed rental payments, pension fund contributions and other unpaid, rendered services.
President Donald Trump's new budget bill is expected to push almost 12 million Americans off their health insurance, creating long-term financial issues for states and healthcare providers, according to a S&P Global report. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes substantial cuts to Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled people. In the long term, that reduced funding could hurt the balance sheets of state governments and hospitals alike, according to the report released Monday.
Astrana Health announced on Wednesday that it has completed the acquisition of Prospect Health, with a deal price of $708 million, down from the previously stated $745 million.
More than 700 rural hospitals – one-third of all rural hospitals in the country – are at risk of closing because of the serious financial problems they are experiencing. Over 300 of these rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closing because of the severity of their financial problems.
The Senate voted early today morning to defeat an amendment sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, to create a new top marginal tax rate for the nation's wealthiest income earners and use the money to double the size of a proposed rural hospital relief fund from $25 billion to $50 billion. Senators voted 22 to 78 against a motion to waive a 60-vote budget point of order against the amendment.