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Each week we deliver news, information, and resources. Is there a focus you'd like to see? Share your insights with us at marketing@skygenusa.com. 

News from the week of May 23, 2025

• Health Provisions in the 2025 Federal Budget Reconciliation Bill (KFF) – As details spill out regarding the House Republican’s “big beautiful” bill that passed earlier this week, KFF is tracking the impact on Medicaid and other health programs. One provision includes cuts to general Medicaid funding for states that use their own budgets to cover undocumented residents. Other concerns involve the impact on the Affordable Care Act, while some elements would impact HSAs and incentivize a shift to ICHRAs.

• How State Medicaid Choices Eased Children’s Coverage Loss After COVID-19 (University of Pennsylvania) – The University of Pennsylvania looks at how some states were able to limit children’s CHIP coverage losses through continuous eligibility and streamlined processes during the "unwinding".

• Senators reintroduce bill that seeks to reform prior authorization in Medicare Advantage (Fierce Healthcare) – Prior authorization reforms which could ease administrative burdens on providers and reduce care delays for patients have been reintroduced in a Senate bill while CMS is putting additional effort towards increasing MA plan audits.

• How Payer-Provider Collaboration is Creating A More Patient-Friendly Healthcare Industry (HIT Consultant) – Successful payer-provider programs are helping solve problems and improve patient access.

• CareQuest State Oral Health Dashboard (CareQuest) – New reports on oral health status by state and adult dental coverage are available from CareQuest.

• The 2025 State of America’s Oral Health and Wellness Report (Delta Dental) – Delta Dental's annual report card dives into patient understanding of oral health and the practice of good oral hygiene across different generations. 

News from the week of May 16, 2025

• The GOP’s Trying Again To Cut Medicaid. It’s Only Gotten Harder Since 2017 (KFF Health News) – In Washington, the focus is on the 2025 budget reconciliation bill. The Congressional Budget Office notes that the measure would result in an additional 13.7 million Americans becoming uninsured by 2034. KFF has a tracker that is following specific provisions in the bill.

• As MA growth slows, analysts urge optimism (Healthcare Brew) – Increases in regulations and higher utilization have forced plans to recalibrate how to price and market Medicare Advantage plans while more seniors opted for traditional Medicare than in previous years.

• CMMI revamps strategy to focus on disease prevention, cost savings (Healthcare Dive) – The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation is shifting its focus to preventing chronic disease.

• FDA to pull prescription fluoride supplements from market (ADA News) – The ADA is reaffirming its support of fluoride supplements after the FDA announced plans to remove prescription fluoride supplements from the market.

• Prevent Blindness Cheers the Reintroduction of ‘Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act’ (Vision Monday) – Prevent Blindness is supporting a bill that would address children’s vision through grants to improve early identification and vision care coordination of potential vision problems.

• The Vision Council's Research Webinar Reveals Trends in Managed Vision Care (Vision Monday) – New research finds consumers with individual eyecare plans had the highest levels of satisfaction, while Medicaid ranked lower due to limited allowances. Patients also gave high marks to providers that were able to assist with required paperwork.

News from the week of May 9, 2025

• Forrester: How payers can balance cost cutting with customer experience improvements (Fierce Healthcare) – A new report provides insights on ways to both improve the customer experience while effectively managing costs.

• Healthcare Associations Speak Out Against White House’s Plan for Massive HHS Cuts (HCI Innovation Group) – Healthcare groups and the public are voicing strong opposition to additional HHS cuts in the White House’s 2026 budget proposal.

• Medicare Advantage Insurers Often Use Rewards and Incentives to Encourage Enrollees to Complete Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) (KFF) – While most Medicare Advantage enrollees are in plans that offer rewards or incentives for completing a Health Risk Assessment, limited data makes it difficult to determine the impact on members.

• Responding to Federal Medicaid Reductions: Which States Are Most at Risk? (KFF) – A series of reports from KFF detail which state Medicaid programs are most at risk and what we might see in the form of provider tax regulations and per capita caps on the ACA expansion population.

• Congressional District Interactive Map: People with Medicare and Medicaid (Dual-Eligible Individuals) (KFF) – KFF is out with a map highlighting dual eligible membership across congressional districts.

• NADP Foundation Report: Addressing Retiree Oral Health Needs. An analysis of current dental coverage and recommendations for expanded coverage (NADP) – A new analysis reveals large gaps in dental coverage for individuals aged 55 and older, leaving nearly 31% of this group without coverage.

• 2025 Global Priorities Survey (International Insurance Society) – A survey of insurance executives from across different sectors reports their leading concerns include inflation, operational efficiency, AI and expense management.

News from the week of April 21, 2025

• Budget draft outlines Trump's plan to slash federal health programs (Healthcare Dive) – A draft document proposes additional large budget cuts as well as the elimination of several HHS programs. The proposal also assumes that ACA subsidies will not be extended by Congress.
• The Vision Council Consumer InSights Q1 2025 report shows signs of increased consumer spending on vision care products (Vision Monday) – A new report from Q1 2025 finds online purchases of contact lenses continue to grow and enrollment in managed care vision plans is trending down slightly while government-sponsored coverage is increasing as more people become eligible for Medicare.
• Oral health care use characteristics in a limited sample of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, Medicare Advantage encounter data 2021 (Journal of the American Dental Association) – A recent limited study of 21 plans found that nearly 47% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries accessed dental care at least once in 2021. In addition, researchers found that all facets of comprehensive dental care services are being used including diagnostic, preventative, restorative and specialty services.
• Medicaid on the bring? Perspectives from 23 healthcare voices as cuts loom (Fierce Healthcare) –Fierce Healthcare contacted a wide range of healthcare leaders to get their opinions on Medicaid health policy and areas that could benefit from improvement..
• 5 key facts about children with special health care needs and Medicaid (KFF)  – A new KFF brief looks at characteristics of children with special health care needs and how Medicaid supports this population..

News from the week of April 14, 2025

• Older adults are using patient portals—some are getting charged for it (Medical Economics)  – A new study finds increasing numbers of older adults are using digital tools to communicate with providers. However, many report being charged copays. A separate report from JD Power finds a plans digital experience can impact member satisfaction and renewal rates.
• 5 key facts about Medicaid coverage for adults with chronic conditions (KFF)  – KFF looks at how Medicaid facilitates access to care for the three quarters of working age adults enrolled in Medicaid with one or more chronic conditions.
• How work requirements would affect Medicaid coverage in each expansion state (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) – New research shows that 5 million people could lose Medicaid coverage due to added administrative hoops from federal work requirements, this report analyzes the impact in each state.
• 'Watching the clues': Uncertainty clouds Medicare broker conference (Fierce Healthcare) – Uncertainty was in the air at a recent Medicare brokers conference. Attendees wondered about the future of Medicare Advantage, how changes at HHS might impact programs and what issues might arise if ACA subsidies are cut. The growth in chronic special needs plans (C-SNP) was also of interest.
• The consistency of health insurance coverage in small businesses: industry challenges and insights (JP Morgan Chase)  – A new JP Morgan report looks at financial issues facing small businesses when it comes to providing health insurance for their employees and how these challenges may be addressed through policy changes.

News from the week of April 7, 2025

• How will Trump's tariffs impact medicine and healthcare? (MedPage Today) – Shifting tariff policies could have a big impact on healthcare readiness due to potential shortages, additional FDA inspection requirements and a lag in increased reimbursements.
• Medicare Advantage dental benefits in 2025: Steady improvement or more of the same? (Health Affairs) – As CMS finalizes a larger than expected Medicare Advantage benchmark increase, it’s unclear how reporting changes for supplemental benefits including dental and vision will impact the industry and patients in 2025.
• The Vision Council's Provider inSights Q3-Q4 2024 Report shows signs of cautious optimism among ECPs (Vision Monday) – A recent survey of eye care professionals reported improved practice performance during the second half of 2024 but worries about inflation and tariffs persist.
• RFK Jr. says he plans to tell CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water (Medical Xpress) – RFK is pushing the CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water while praising Utah for becoming the first state to enact a ban.
• 'It will set us back multiple decades': Why public health officials are panicking about the HHS overhaul (MedCity News) – Public health officials are pushing back against HHS cuts to public health programs and personnel as well as cuts to state funding. 
• More Americans say they can't afford healthcare: Gallup (Healthcare Dive) – A recent Gallup poll found the number of Americans who could not afford basic healthcare needs reached a four year high. Medicaid disenrollments, drug shortages and inflation are contributing to this issue.

News from the week of march 31, 2025

• Dentists' economic confidence drops in the first quarter of 2025 (ADA HPI) – The latest ADA HPI Quarterly Economic Outlook reports a large drop in dentist confidence during the first quarter. The report also looks at which COVID-era disease prevention tactics have remained in place.
• 5 years later: A look back at the COVID-19 pandemic and how healthcare has changed (Fierce Healthcare) – Five years after COVID emerged, experts say greater collaboration, improved healthcare worker visibility, a rise in telehealth and new approaches to tech adoption are a few key changes the U.S. healthcare system has adopted.
• Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, enrollment, and renewal policies as states resume routine operations following the unwinding of the pandemic-era continuous enrollment provisions (KFF) – The latest KFF annual Medicaid report provides a view of current enrollment levels as well as a view into pandemic-era policies that have been retained including efforts to streamline and automate enrollment and eligibility, enrollment and renewal processes.
• ACA exchange enrollment has skyrocketed since 2020, with most of the growth in red states (Fierce Healthcare) – A new analysis from KFF found enrollment in marketplace plans more than doubled between 2020 and 2025, with much of that growth in red states.
• CDC's Division of Oral Health gutted amid federal restructuring (ADA News) – Details regarding large cuts at HHS includes notice that the CDC’s Division of Oral Health has been “gutted”..

News from the week of march 24, 2025

• Medicaid, SNAP cuts could lead to 1 million jobs lost in 2025 (Healthcare Dive) – A report from the Commonwealth Fund provides estimates on the potential impacts of Medicaid and SNAP on employment, economic activity and state revenue..
• Putting $880 billion in potential federal Medicaid cuts in context of state budgets and coverage (KFF) – KFF looks at potential Medicaid cuts from a state funding and coverage perspective.  
• The Trump administration restructures federal health agencies, cuts 20,000 jobs (NPR) – The Trump administration has pledged this week to cut an additional 10,000 jobs from HHS, CMS and other health agencies. It is not yet clear which programs will be targeted. However, the ADA is expressing support for CMS’ Chief Dental Officer role..
• Study links lack of oral health care with complications during pregnancy (Medical Xpress) – A new study underlines the importance of access to oral health to help reduce the risks of gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders.
• Webinar: Understanding the health and fiscal impacts of Medicaid policy proposals (U Penn LDI) – Join Penn LDI and a panel of experts on April 4th from 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET to explore the potential implications of emerging federal Medicaid policy proposals.

News from the week of march 17, 2025

• What happens if the adult Medicaid dental benefits goes away? (ADA HPI) – A recent Health Policy Institute report on the impact of potential cuts to the adult Medicaid dental benefit finds cuts could impact reimbursement, service and eligibility levels as well as increase emergency department visits related to oral health.
• 5 key facts about Medicaid coverage for people with Medicare (KFF) – Two new Medicaid reports reveal key facts about dual eligible members and state and federal Medicaid program integrity.      
• Jobson Research survey reveals ECPs are increasingly concerned about tariff's impact on cost of goods, bottom line (Vision Monday) – Jobson Research finds 76% of eye care professionals were very or somewhat concerned about how tariffs will affect their costs and most plan to pass these increases on to their patients.
• Vision impairment, social isolation and depression impact cognition (Review of Optometry) – A new study links dementia in aging adults with vision Impairment, social Isolation and depression and recommends treatment of these conditions to help slow cognitive decline.
• Screenagers to silver surfers: How each generation clicks with care (Healthcare Dive) – A look at how different generations engage with health care technology reveals why one-size-fits-all digital health may not be an effective strategy.

News from the week of march 10, 2025

• National poll on children's health (University of Michigan) – The University of Michigan’s CS Mott Children’s Hospital latest survey of children’s dental health reports that 1 in 3 children experienced dental problems in the past two years. A separate study found a 62% surge in emergency visits for children’s dental conditions during the pandemic.
• Dental legislation updates across 10 states in 28 days (Becker's Dental) – Becker's provides a roundup of recent dental legislative developments across several states and additional movement towards dental loss ratios.                                        .
• KFF health tracking poll February 2025: The public's views on potential changes to Medicaid (KFF) – According to the February KFF Health Tracking Poll, potential changes to Medicaid are unpopular among a majority of the public. Another study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation looks at how cuts to Medicaid expansion programs might impact provider revenue and the Congressional Budget Office chimes in to say that it will not be possible to meet budget targets without cutting Medicaid.
• Congressional district interactive map: Medicaid enrollment by eligibility group (KFF) –KFF breaks down Medicaid enrollment by eligibility group for each congressional district. ..
• Americans give healthcare system a "C" grade as uncertainly in the system grows (Healthcare Dive) – A survey finds many Americans are frustrated with the healthcare system in general and have specific concerns about affordability, access to care and government regulation. A second survey from Gallup finds about 12% of Americans report having to borrow money to pay for health care, even though most had some sort of health insurance.

News from the week of march 3, 2025

• CMS rescinds Medicaid health related social needs guidance (Fierce Healthcare) – CMS has removed information on available health equity opportunities under Medicaid and CHIP waiver programs. Health equity programs run afoul of the Trump administration’s approach to eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives..
• A Medicaid per capita cap: State by state estimates (KFF) – As Congress contemplates cuts to Medicaid, KFF analyzed how a federal per capita cap might play out. If states reduce eligibility in proportion with the cuts in federal spending an estimated 15 million fewer people could be covered by Medicaid. If the ACA expansion match rate is also eliminated, an additional 15 million expansion enrollees could lose coverage.                                        .
• Federal Medicaid cuts could shift $44.3B in costs to expansion states (Healthcare Dive) – The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also finds that if Congress cuts Medicaid funding, expansion states could see a $44.3 billion hole in state budgets with 11 million people at risk of becoming uninsured if states were to drop their expansion programs..
• Commonwealth Fund: How letting the ACA premium subsidies expire could impact states (Fierce Healthcare) – According to the Commonwealth Fund, the impact of not renewing the enhanced ACA premium subsidies at the end of this year would cost states $34 billion in GDP and more than $2 billion in tax revenue, while leading to 286,000 job losses..
• The top 3 impacts of Trump's health data purge (Healthcare Dive) – Medical experts fear that recent purges of healthcare data will hamper our ability to combat emerging infectious diseases and chronic health conditions.
• March JADA finds pregnant women who visited dentist less likely to have preeclampsia (ADA News) –A recent JADA article finds preventive oral health care during pregnancy resulted in fewer cases of preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

News from the week of february 28, 2025

• Dental leaders sound the alarm on potential Medicaid cuts (Becker's Dental) – Medicaid cuts could impact both access to care and dental providers already struggling with low reimbursements.
• CMS data: Medicare Advantage enrollment growth hits skids (Fierce Healthcare) – While Medicare Advantage has more than doubled since 2010, in 2024 enrollment grew by only 3.8%. Payers have struggled with elevated utilization and regulatory scrutiny this year.
• CMS adds new DQA quality measure for oral evaluations during pregnancy (ADA News) – CMS has added oral evaluations during pregnancy as a new quality measure for Medicaid and CHIP programs.
• Fillings needed for gaps in government dental coverage (JAMA Forum) – Two Harvard professors make recommendations for oral health care system reform that could expand access to care across Medicaid, Medicare and ACA plans.
• What does the federal government spend on health care? (KFF) – The House of Representatives has passed their budget plan and while we wait to see how Medicaid will be impacted, KFF has released several new reports looking at spending across different government health programs and how capping enrollee Medicaid spending could mean coverage losses for up to 15 million people.
• Trump issues executive order to crack down on price transparency rules for hospitals, payers (Fierce Healthcare) –The administration’s executive order on price transparency rule enforcement comes as Peterson-KFF reports on challenges with the program.
• News from the week of february 28, 2025