Jakob Emerson

Chicago

Associate News Director at Becker's Hospital Review

Assoc. News Director @beckershr | @depaulu alum | Chicago lover | NorCal raised

Articles

Optum West CEO heads to Curana Health

1 week ago | beckerspayer.com | Jakob Emerson

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25 health systems dropping Medicare Advantage plans | 2025

1 week ago | beckershospitalreview.com | Jakob Emerson

Among the most commonly cited reasons are excessive prior authorization denial rates and slow payments from insurers. In 2023, Becker’s began reporting on hospitals and health systems nationwide that dropped some or all of their Medicare Advantage contracts. 2024 coverage is here. 25 health systems dropping Medicare Advantage plans:Editor’s note: This is not an exhaustive list. It will continue to be updated this year.
Walmart launches wellness program for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid members

1 week ago | beckerspayer.com | Jakob Emerson

Walmart has partnered with Soda Health to launch the Walmart Everyday Health Signals program, aimed at helping Medicare Advantage and Medicaid enrollees make healthier food choices through personalized guidance based on online shopping patterns.
GOP budget bill leaves payers with 'deteriorating' outlook: Fitch - Becker's Payer Issues

1 week ago | beckerspayer.com | Jakob Emerson

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the health insurance industry’s outlook to deteriorating from neutral because of rising utilization and Medicaid and ACA cuts proposed in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on May 22 and included nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid and ACA marketplace cuts over the next decade. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the combined measures could leave 11 million more Americans uninsured by 2034.
ICHRA growth up 1000% since 2020: 8 notes

1 week ago | beckerspayer.com | Jakob Emerson

ICHRA adoption has grown by more than 1,000% since 2020, with employers of all sizes continuing to adopt the insurance model at double-digit growth year after year, according to the HRA Council’s annual growth trends report for the ICHRA & QSEHRA markets. The 2025 data published June 17 includes information from 15 current HRAC members and a control group of founding members who have contributed data since the launch of ICHRA in 2020.
Ochsner Health Plan CEO names SVP of Medicare at Aetna

1 week ago | beckerspayer.com | Jakob Emerson

CVS Health has named Jeffrey Fernandez as senior vice president of Medicare at Aetna. Mr. Fernandez previously served as SVP of population health and CEO at Oschner Health Plan. Prior to that, he held a variety of leadership roles at Humana, most recently serving as SVP of the company’s Medicare West segment.
Viewpoint: Medicare Advantage executives should have to enroll in the program

1 week ago | beckerspayer.com | Jakob Emerson

Medicare Advantage executives, regardless of age, should have to enroll in their own health plans to better understand their members’ experience, according to SCAN Group CEO Sachin Jain, MD. “No carve-outs. No executive-only exemptions. No platinum side-door coverage,” he wrote in Forbes on June 14. “I should have to live under the same benefit design, customer service, and network constraints as every other member.
CarelonRx pharmacists discuss evolving trends in specialty pharmacy - Becker's Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis

1 week ago | beckershospitalreview.com | Jakob Emerson

The specialty drug pipeline is robust with several new medications anticipated to gain approval in the coming years. Healthcare leaders need to be poised to have a deep understanding of the clinical benefits and harms relative to existing therapies, establish clinical guidelines, anticipate and prepare for costs, and help reduce barriers for patients with complex illnesses that could potentially benefit from these novel drugs.
Evidence-based medicine improves quality of care while reducing the cost of care

1 week ago | beckershospitalreview.com | Jakob Emerson

It’s no surprise that inappropriate care decisions can negatively impact patients, but they also place a strain on the entire health care system. At a time when the demand for health care providers and services exceed the current supply, it’s critical to manage resources effectively to help ensure access to care.
CMS directed to turn over Medicaid data to immigration officials: Report

1 week ago | beckershospitalreview.com | Jakob Emerson

HHS officials ordered CMS to provide the personal data of Medicaid enrollees to the Department of Homeland Security in June, according to an exclusive report from the Associated Press. The data includes the immigration status of Medicaid enrollees in California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C., which could make it easier to locate undocumented individuals.