Apple recently realized it could make its watch even smarter by adding sensors to the band and the dial. A recent report reveals that the Cupertino company was granted 38 patents on November 5, 2024, by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a “smart health and communications band for Apple Watch and a future headset.”
Despite his focus on 'Make America Healthy Again,' millions of Americans may lose health insurance subsidies next year, depending on the political climate after the election and the Republicans' control of the Senate. The subsidies, expanded under the 2021 American Rescue Plan, help many, particularly the middle class, afford health insurance through the ACA. These subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025, and it remains uncertain whether they will be extended under the new administration.
Cigna Group said Monday it is not pursuing a combination with rival Humana, days after Donald Trump's reelection as U.S. president raised investor hopes that any merger would face far less antitrust scrutiny. Humana shares rose after Tuesday's election as investors bet on an easier antitrust review for any mega-merger during a Trump administration, analysts say.
Artificial intelligence has long been heralded as a transformative force in medicine. Yet, until recently, its potential has remained largely unfulfilled.
Places like Jefferson Healthcare are in a precarious position. Rural maternity wards are almost always financial black holes, a reality that has forced several in Washington to close in recent years, including one in Toppenish last year and at Naval Hospital Bremerton, which stopped delivering babies in 2022.
Longtime observers of the Massachusetts hospital industry may be forgiven if they look at the current Steward Health Care debacle and find themselves saying, "I’ve seen this movie before" — in the 1980s. In 1983 Congress passed amendments to Social Security that changed the way hospitals did business. Previously, they were reimbursed on a retrospective basis and were paid what they spent on patient care. As a result, they had little incentive to control expenses, causing healthcare costs to rise faster than the overall rate of inflation.