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Most of the formularies run by some of the largest health plans in the U.S. generally provide “fair access” to 18 treatments for a handful of serious diseases, although transparent coverage information is often lacking for some medicines, a new analysis has found. (Silverman, 11/3)

Open enrollment for plans available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace has officially begun, and this year’s sign-up period will have some new factors that may make it easier for more people to sign up for coverage. Prospective customers now have until Jan. 15 to sign up for ACA insurance plans, though those who want coverage at the start of the calendar year should sign up by Dec. 15. Last year’s enrollment reached record numbers — 15.7 million — and this year’s is expected to exceed that rate. (Choi, 11/5)

Jacksonville is launching an initiative aimed at helping uninsured people get coverage, just as the season to enroll in health plans opens. About 120,000 residents under age 65 don’t have affordable private health care, the city said Thursday in launching “Get Covered Jax.” The program will help residents navigate the Florida Health Insurance Marketplace at Healthcare.gov to find affordable or even no-cost options, Mayor Donna Deegan said in announcing the plan. (Scanlan, 11/3)

Among a rush of new changes in 2024, Independence Blue Cross is introducing new health plans, increased access to virtual care and in-network dental plans. The company said its plans meet the needs of small businesses and are compliant with the Affordable Care Act. (Tong, 11/3)

BJC HealthCare has reached a much-anticipated agreement for a new Affordable Care Act insurance plan under Aetna, beginning Jan. 1. The deal will come as a relief to BJC patients who are signing up for ACA plans as the federal open enrollment period kicks off this week. The previous carrier of individual marketplace plans covering BJC — Cigna, which offered them under the brand “Cigna Connect” — is exiting Missouri’s ACA marketplace in 2024. (Merrilees, 11/3)

Don’t let the complexity of disability insurance keep you from buying it. Disability insurance involves confusing paperwork and more than a little bit of math. It is designed to soften the financial fallout for employees who can’t work for some time as a result of illness, injury or another qualifying condition. For a regular fee, you get income back for a predetermined amount of time. But understanding how it works is only part of the equation. You also have to understand the cost. (Carpenter, 11/5)

More than 1 million patients of the Cook County hospital system could have had their personal information exposed in a data breach earlier this year. Cook County Health said Perry Johnson & Associates (PJ&A), which once provided medical transportation services for its hospitals and clinics, informed the county of a data breach in July. PJ&A said an unauthorized individual accessed systems where patient data was stored in April, and personal information of Cook County Health patients might have been affected, according to the county. (Feurer, 11/3)

Walmart Health is making a move to better coordinate patient care between its health centers in Florida and a major health system. The retail giant announced a partnership with Orlando Health, a private, not-for-profit network of community and specialty hospitals across Florida, that will initially focus on improving referral management, care coordination and patient engagement.  (Landi, 11/3)

Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services says it’s cutting 250 jobs across its hospitals and clinics. Fairview says the jobs will be cut before the end of the year, and most of the affected jobs are not full-time positions. In a statement, the organization says health care is facing “tremendous pressures,” including increased labor costs and reimbursement rates that it says are not keeping up with inflation. (Cox, 11/3)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Nursing Homes Say They Can’t Afford Higher Staffing. But Their Finances Are Often Opaque.

Perhaps the biggest mystery, as the Biden administration moves to force nursing homes to boost staffing, is this: how much extra money do the nation’s 15,000 homes actually have to hire and retain more nurses and aides? Public comments are due Monday on the most sweeping regulatory changes to hit the industry in decades. The proposal has provoked a fierce lobbying battle between nursing homes and patient advocates, with more than 22,000 comments filed already to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Rau, 11/3)