Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Major Supplier Of Medical Products Adding Surcharge To US Shipments
MilliporeSigma, one of the largest suppliers of medical research products, will start adding a temporary tariff surcharge to all product orders shipped to the United States. (Silverman, 5/2)
Major medtech companies are wasting no time implementing strategies — ranging from moving production to stocking up on inventory — to mitigate the big blow each of them expects from tariffs. Raising prices to the hospitals and health systems they sell to is viewed as a last resort, executives said during recent quarterly earnings calls. (Dubinsky, 5/2)
More health care and pharma news —
UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys have agreed to sell certain home health and hospice locations to BrightSpring Health Services and The Pennant Group to help mitigate antitrust concerns over the insurer’s planned acquisition of Amedisys. Amedisys disclosed the proposed divestitures in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this week, but the company did not include the number of locations the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based home care provider or UnitedHealth Group plan to sell or the financial terms. (Eastabrook, 5/2)
Big for-profit health systems are seeing double-digit growth in exchange volumes, signaling a larger industry trend as the number of enrollees balloons to record highs. At least 24.2 million people purchased insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchange marketplaces during open enrollment for 2025, beating the record 21.3 million people in 2024, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The increase is showing up in health systems' latest financial reports and catching interest from analysts on first-quarter earnings calls, largely due to continued uncertainty surrounding ACA subsidies. (Hudson, 5/2)
Dr. Karen DeSalvo is leaving Google after more than five years as the company's first chief health officer. DeSalvo in a Friday LinkedIn post said she is departing Google this summer. She will retire after nearly 35 years in various healthcare leadership roles, including a stint as the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under President Barack Obama. (Perna, 5/2)
GE HealthCare said Friday it received Food and Drug Administration clearance for its artificial intelligence tool that uses deep learning to outline organs at risk in MRI images and help improve radiation therapy planning. MR Contour DL can outline 37 organs and structures in the head-neck and pelvic areas. The process previously had to be done manually. (Dubinsky, 5/2)
