After years of pouring money into disruptive technologies in the financial services industry, venture capital firms are turning their attention to the health care ecosystem as the pandemic upends traditional ways of delivering health care. … READ MORE >
Health care
Managed care organizations weather the coronavirus storm
It’s no mystery that major parts of the health care sector took a significant hit to the bottom line this year as hospitals postponed elective procedures to make way for coronavirus patients. But one area of the health care sector — managed care organizations — has weathered the storm quite well. … READ MORE >
While other health care subsectors see job gains, nursing and residential care continues to lag
While the health care ecosystem is broadly returning to work, nursing care facilities remain an exception. In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and state-wide prohibitions on non-emergent, or elective, procedures the health care ecosystem shed 2.27 million jobs in August, the first broad job loss in health care in decades. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Health care costs rise while tax revenue stagnates
As health care continues to represent a larger portion of U.S. gross domestic product, the federal government’s ability to finance that expenditure through tax revenues has relatively declined. Corporate taxes as a percent of GDP peaked at 2.6% in 2007. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis that proportion fell to 1% in 2009 and recovered to 1.9% in 2015. In 2018, the last year for which we have data, it was again at 2009’s level of 1%. … READ MORE >
As coronavirus spreads across the nation, aid to hospitals lags
As Congress debates a new round of stimulus measures to blunt the human and economic toll of the coronavirus, it has an opportunity to rethink the way it supports those who are working on the front lines of the pandemic: health care providers. … READ MORE >
Businesses already strained by COVID-19 should prepare for hurricane season
Forecasters predict a 70% chance that this hurricane season will be worse than normal. For businesses already stretched thin by the coronavirus pandemic, the grim forecast comes at a perilous time. Sectors such as insurance, real estate, hospitality and health care are particularly vulnerable. … READ MORE >
Amid resurgence of coronavirus, health care providers feel mounting pressure
Despite the central role that health care providers have played in treating patients with the virus, the industry continues to face significant financial pressure. Without some kind of relief from the coming fiscal cliff, those providers could be in even more dire financial circumstances … READ MORE >
How hospitals can prepare for new price transparency rules
A recent court ruling has given the Trump administration a major victory in its push for transparency in health care pricing, and has left many health care providers scrambling to meet new requirements. … READ MORE >
After suffering losses, health care providers could face a reckoning on debt covenants
On June 30, the financial results from health care providers with publicly traded bonds will be measured, providing a window into their financial condition and whether the providers that took on debt to fuel their growth will be able to meet their bond covenants. … READ MORE >
Trump administration identifies 5 companies for government support in vaccine effort
Drug developers, academic institutions and government agencies across the globe are investigating more than 100 potential vaccines for the coronavirus. The Trump administration on Wednesday identified a handful of organizations that it believes are the most likely to produce a viable vaccine candidate, The New York Times reported. This is … … READ MORE >