An AHIP report found that the percentage of traditional Medicare beneficiaries who purchased Medicare supplement plans increased from 35% in December 2017 to 41% in December 2021, while 54% of those with Medicare and no other coverage selected supplement plans in 2020. Medicare enrollees without supplemental coverage were nearly three times more likely to report difficulty paying medical bills in the past year, compared with those who had coverage through original Medicare and a supplemental plan.

A Chartis Group report found that 217 hospitals across the US have closed their maternity departments since 2011, and Minnesota, Texas, Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin have each seen more than 10 maternity units close. Medicaid funds about 42% of US births, and the program pays about $6,500 per delivery, compared with about $15,000 per delivery paid by employer-based plans, according to the Health Care Cost Institute, while low birth volumes and recruiting difficulties also pose challenges for maintaining maternity units in rural areas.

Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers in Illinois is working to consolidate multiple EHRs into a single EHR from Meditech, removing the need for separate sets of patient records in different care settings, while Texas-based Coryell Health plans to roll out its Oracle Cerner EHR with the goal of improving patient care and safety by combining patient data into one system, in addition to improving clinical efficiency. The eClinicalWorks EHR is being implemented by Florida's Palm Plastic Surgery & MedSpa to boost patient engagement, improve workflows and make documentation more efficient.

The CDC reports that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is the dominant variant in the US, accounting for an estimated 88% of new cases last week, while COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decline nationwide. The World Health Organization has said the XBB.1.16 subvariant, which has been found in 27 countries, is "one to watch."

The CDC said at least two cases of a deadly Marburg viral infection have been found in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania so far this year. The disease carries a fatality rate of up to 90% and becomes contagious when symptoms such as headache, fatigue, fever, joint and muscle pain, bleeding and appetite loss occur, and the two pathogens that cause it are closely related to Filoviridae ebolaviruses.

A Childhood Cancer Survivor Study published in The Lancet found that childhood cancer patients who survived five years or more after their diagnosis had a 23.3% 40-year all-cause mortality rate, compared with less than 5% in the general population. The study found the lowest excess risk rate of health-related mortality in survivors with a healthful lifestyle.

Ethicists at Google and Microsoft warned the companies that artificial intelligence chatbots could produce inaccurate results, spread disinformation and cause significant harm and shouldn't be released without safeguards, and regulatory agencies are considering their next steps. Both companies say their new chatbots are designed with safeguards that prevent them from producing hate speech or other harmful results.

Individuals with diabetes who were treated with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors had lower odds of developing cancer. The findings in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications were based on data from 325,990 SGLT2 inhibitor users and 325,989 non-SGLT2 inhibitor users.

In December, Congress tasked the White House with creating an Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy to oversee readiness for future disease outbreaks, but the agency is not yet up and running, nor has a leader been named for it. Biodefense policy expert Ken Bernard and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a key author of the legislation that created the office, expressed concern that it may be more difficult to get the program up and running once the COVID-19 public health emergency ends and the presidential election cycle nears.

Does your health insurance provider organization have timely news about a breakthrough that's guiding greater health for more Americans? Tell your story during one of AHIP's conferences. Proposals may be submitted throughout the year, but be sure to check the deadlines for each conference. Learn more here.

Unlike mass market sites, the AHIP Career Center was created for health care professionals. With data tools that get you from post to placement faster, it's the better way to target health care's best and brightest. Discover all the ways it can work hard for you. Post a job today.

Join us on Wednesday, May 3 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET for "How to Streamline Enrollment & Billing for Better Member Experiences" as Oracle and guests discuss how to streamline policy administration and pricing, thereby providing members with a seamless experience. Attendees will gain valuable insights into simplifying enrollment and billing, improving member retention and satisfaction.