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To lower costs and improve billing for patients who need ground ambulance services, federal lawmakers should ban surprise bills, limit patient cost-sharing and make bills easier to understand, according to a committee formed by Congress to explore how to tackle these issues. ... The public is invited to comment on what Congress should do to address ground ambulance billing through Nov. 15. The committee will deliver a report with all recommendations, distinguishing those that received a majority vote of support, to Congress in early 2024. (Santhanam, 11/2)

A new Minnesota law requires hospitals to check if patients are eligible for financial assistance before referring medical debt for collections. It's a move that supporters of the change say will ensure people know what help is available and may relieve them of the burden of steep healthcare costs. The provisions took effect Wednesday. (Cummings, 11/2)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Medical Debt Is Disappearing From Americans’ Credit Reports, Lifting Scores 

The share of American consumers with medical debt on their credit reports has declined dramatically over the past year as major credit rating agencies removed small unpaid bills and debts that were less than a year old, according to a new analysis from the nonprofit Urban Institute. At the same time, millions of Americans have seen their credit scores improve, making it easier for many to get a job, rent an apartment, or get a car. (Levey, 11/2)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News' 'What the Health?': For ACA Plans, It’s Time To Shop Around

In most states, open enrollment for plans on the Affordable Care Act exchange — also known as Obamacare — began Nov. 1 and lasts until Dec. 15, though some states go longer. With premiums expected to increase by a median of 6%, consumers who get their health coverage through the federal or state ACA marketplaces are encouraged to shop around. Because of enhanced subsidies and cost-sharing assistance, they might save money by switching plans. Meanwhile, Ohio is yet again an election-year battleground state. A ballot issue that would provide constitutional protection to reproductive health decisions has become a flashpoint for misinformation and message testing. (11/2)

MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving charity has awarded $5 million to the Siouxland Community Health Center in Sioux City. Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, pledged in 2019 to give more than half of her billions to charity following her divorce. (Brummer, 11/2)

Liberty Hospital, a public hospital serving the northern suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri, has remained independent since opening nearly 50 years ago. That time may be about to end. The hospital, a 200-bed facility with 1,900 employees and managed by the county, is close to signing a non-binding letter of intent to affiliate with Kansas City, Kansas-based University of Kansas Health System. (Kacik, 11/2)

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, 11/2)

UCHealth's merger with Parkview Health System will close Dec. 1, the nonprofit providers announced Thursday. The deal was originally expected to close in mid-2023 but got delayed by what the health systems described as "regulatory matters." UCHealth of Aurora, Colorado, and Pueblo, Colorado-based Parkview Health System signed a letter of intent to merge in October 2022 and came to agreement on the transaction in January. (Hudson, 11/2)

HCA Midwest Health extended its partnership with Kansas City University, becoming the latest health system to try to bolster the workforce pipeline through higher-education affiliations. The seven-hospital division of for-profit hospital chain HCA Healthcare extended its physician training partnership Wednesday with the largest medical school in Missouri. It builds on an existing partnership between the two organizations that has been in place for many years, a spokesperson from the university said. (Kacik, 11/2)