CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the "Medicare for all" idea being pushed by some Democrats would decimate doctor networks and create a permanent physician shortage because the program doesn't cover full health care provider costs. "Under 'Medicare for all,' you either take private insurance away from those 170 million Americans, or greatly restrict access to it, meaning there is no relief valve for physicians facing up to 40% payment cuts," Verma told attendees at AHIP's Medicare conference in Washington.

Some health care providers, including solo physician practices, are not good candidates for taking on two-sided financial risk, and other health care organizations that are not ready to meet stringent new standards should "get out of the way," says Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Director Adam Boehler. The CMS is developing policies to help hospitals and medical practices that are risk-ready succeed, Boehler says.

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation Director Adam Boehler told private insurers that their Medicare Advantage business won't be adversely affected by a direct provider contracting model being considered by the CMS to cut traditional Medicare costs. Speaking at AHIP's Medicare conference in Washington, Boehler urged insurers to increase their use of value-based insurance design, which uses low copayments to incentivize high-value clinical care, and said he would consider promoting the model for prescription drug plans.

Seven Pennsylvania insurers including Capital Blue Cross, Geisinger Health, Highmark Health, UPMC Health Plan and Independence Blue Cross agreed to lift prior authorization requirements for medication-assisted treatment for patients with substance abuse disorders. The change applies to individual and group plans.

A new publication released by the National Academy of Medicine highlighted the importance of a system's EHR interoperability and health data exchange capabilities when purchasing health IT devices and solutions. The group's health care industry experts recommend purchasing health IT tools from different vendors, implementing procurement strategies or certain standards when selecting or purchasing EHRs and health IT tools, creating interoperability steering groups across the organization and developing procurement specifications.

The merger of CVS Health and Aetna will accelerate the trend toward consumer-oriented health care and could force some providers to reconsider their business model, said PwC Health Service Leader Gurpreet Singh. More nontraditional retail and technology providers will enter the health care market, Singh said, and hospitals may have to focus on a particular strength, such as integrated care or customer service, to succeed.

Emerging markets such as Argentina, Indonesia and Turkey have seen their currencies weaken over the past few weeks. A large factor has been the strength of the U.S. dollar. Investors and businesses looking to such markets should consider the sources of volatility affecting the fluctuations -- which might level off over time as economies continue to develop. How have emerging-market currencies shifted against the U.S. dollar? Learn more.

Aon's Cyber Solutions is pleased to present our review of the 2018 Cyber Predictions Updated report. The insights draw upon our experience working with security and risk professionals, as well as boards and the C-suite, to plan for, mitigate and manage the effect of cyber risk across the enterprise. Aon leaders in cybersecurity and cyber risk discussed the 2018 predictions and whether those predictions came to bear during the course of the year, as well as their first-hand experience and insights on proactive, reactive and risk transfer strategies. View the replay.