GAO Flags Unfinished Fraud Controls in Medicare and VA Payments
A July GAO review found $23.7 billion in Medicare Advantage payment errors and $608 million in VA Community Care improper or unknown payments.
Health Care
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Palm Bay Planning Board to Consider $167.6 Million Health First Hospital Expansion
Palm Bay’s Planning and Zoning Board will review a proposed Health First hospital expansion on August 5, including 119 additional beds, projected traffic impacts and related land-use code changes.
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Oregon is weighing a $421 million Medicaid gap. Here are the possible changes
Oregon has not cut OHP benefits, but officials are weighing options that could affect dental care, therapy, behavioral-health treatment, prescriptions and provider payments.
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Iowa offers $10.5 million to create rural medical residency programs
Iowa HHS is accepting applications through Aug. 24 for up to 14 rural residency programs or tracks in four medical specialties.
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Vermont’s top health care regulator is stepping down after cost-control battles
Owen Foster will leave the Green Mountain Care Board chair position at the end of September but remain a voting member as hospital budgets and 2027 insurance rates stay under review.
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UAB’s $426,000 substance-use grant targets the hospital-to-home gap in Birmingham
A new two-year UAB program is designed to connect people leaving Birmingham-area hospital care with addiction treatment, recovery support and related health services.
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Ohio Medicaid changes prior authorization rules for some behavioral health and substance-use services
Ohio Medicaid’s July 1 threshold-based review system does not require approval for most members to start covered care, but authorization may be needed to continue certain services after annual unit or consecutive-day limits are reached.
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North Dakota Medicaid tightens enrollment and review rules for transportation and care providers
North Dakota Medicaid has paused some new provider enrollments and is imposing expanded identity, licensing, vehicle and insurance requirements on non-emergency transportation providers as a broader review plan begins.
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Elkhart Plan Commission to review 38-lot subdivision and ER addition
Elkhart’s Plan Commission is scheduled to review a 38-lot Walnut Trail subdivision and a 4,800-square-foot emergency-room addition on August 3.
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New York Medicaid officials seek public input on proposed five-year waiver extension
New York is asking CMS to extend a major Medicaid demonstration for five years. Residents can speak Aug. 11 or submit written comments by Aug. 21, 2026.
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New Maine Workplace Laws Change Pay Transparency, Surveillance Notices and Health Care Noncompetes
Maine laws that took effect July 29 require many employers to disclose pay ranges, notify workers about covered surveillance and follow revised rules for health care noncompete agreements.
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New Mexico Medicaid Costs Rose as Enrollment Fell, LFC Analysts Find
New Mexico Medicaid spending more than doubled through fiscal 2026 even as enrollment fell after its fiscal 2023 peak, putting attention on per-member costs, hospital payments and managed-care accountability.
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Delaware Health-Care Laws Put New Limits on Hospital Costs and Ownership
Delaware laws signed July 20 set statewide hospital-assistance standards, restrict some medical-debt collection, require primary-care spending and phase in hospital price limits and ownership protections.
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Littleton Regional Healthcare Proposed Affiliation Paused for Six Months
Littleton Regional Healthcare’s proposed Dartmouth Health affiliation remains incomplete after both organizations paused proceedings for six months to address financial and regulatory steps.
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Brattleboro hospital deficit estimated at at least $30 million
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital administrators estimate at least $30 million in multiyear losses as Vermont regulators and town officials weigh next steps.
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Oklahoma Medicaid fraud case widens as AG probes thousands of enrollments
Oklahoma’s Medicaid agency says thousands of residents may have been fraudulently enrolled as the attorney general examines oversight and fraud referrals.
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Rochelle hospital’s $48.6 million plan heads to September review
Rochelle Community Hospital’s proposed $48.6 million modernization remains pending after Illinois staff questioned utilization data and project costs.
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Labor, HHS, Treasury propose ‘excepted fertility benefits’—comments due July 13, 2026
United States Fresh Federal Documents and Draft Reports – Labor, HHS and Treasury propose ‘excepted fertility benefits,’ with a $120,000 cap. Comments due July 13, 2026.
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Medicare GLP-1 bridge starts with $50 copay and tight eligibility rules
CMS has launched a temporary national Medicare program that offers some eligible Part D beneficiaries GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for $50 a month.
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Cobleskill residents face July coverage changes as Essential Plan shifts
Cobleskill NY – The July 1 Essential Plan shift could push some residents into marketplace plans with higher premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs.
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Nashville General names Veronica Elders CEO amid deficit, 2027 lease end
Nashville General Hospital named Dr. Veronica Elders CEO June 25 after a national search, as the city’s public hospital reports a year-to-date deficit of $4.58 million and faces a 2027 lease end.
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HHS-OIG denies New York Medicaid fraud unit’s recertification
HHS-OIG denied recertification of New York’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and suspended federal funding through Sept. 30 after saying the unit lagged similar states in criminal fraud cases. ([oig.hhs.gov](https://oig.hhs.gov/documents/medicaid-fraud-control-units/11727/NY_MFCU.pdf))