By Thomas Beaton; HealthPayer Intelligence ~ Feb 02, 2018

February 02, 2018 – CMS has released the second part of its proposed Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D changes, which include administrative upgrades to assist with combating the nation’s the opioid crisis and allowing payers to incorporate supplemental benefits into health plans.

The proposed changes redefine health-related supplemental benefits by allowing payers to cover services including non-skilled in-home support, portable wheelchair ramps, and other assistive devices and modifications when patients need them.

From Steve Brozak; Forbes ~ Feb 02, 2018

We are in the midst of the most severe flu season in almost a decade. It’s estimated that 50,000 people will die this season from the flu, close to a million people will be admitted to hospitals, and the death toll for young children is expected to rise above the 37 who have already perished. Calling this flu season alarming is an understatement – it’s a crisis.

By Anjali Athavaley; Reuters ~ Jan 31, 2018

NEW YORK (Reuters) – AT&T Inc (T.N) reported quarterly profit that beat analysts’ estimates on Wednesday, helped by tax cuts and new wireless subscribers, and its chief executive voiced confidence the company will complete its $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc (TWX.N).

The U.S. Department of Justice sued to block the deal last year on grounds that it was anticompetitive. A trial is slated to begin on March 19.

From News Wire Feed; Light Reading ~ Jan 31, 2018

DALLAS, Texas — AT&T is continuing to invest in expanding our fiber footprint to provide businesses of all sizes with advanced technology and communications services. AT&T has over 1.1 million global route miles of fiber. More than 8 million business customer locations nationwide are either on or within 1,000 feet of our fiber. That’s more than 2x our nearest competitor.

By Dan Jones; Light Reading ~ Jan 31, 2018

This will be a year where AT&T uses its corporate tax-cut boost to spend more on deploying fiber and using spectrum to lay a foundation for 5G.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is expecting to spend around $23 billion on capital expenditure in 2018, CFO John Stephens said on the operator’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday afternoon. Capex for the full year 2017 was just under $22 billion.

From Liz Frazier Peck; Forbes ~ Jan 31, 2018

Like every social, political and economic policy in our country; health insurance is complicated. We started with an already complex system. Then Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed, setting up insurance “exchanges” that offer consumers and small businesses a choice of health plans. While hugely beneficial to many, definitely muddied already murky waters.

By Brittany De Lea ; Fox Business ~ Jan 30, 2018

As employees begin to receive their updated paychecks based on the new tax code changes, many are seeing incorrect withholding amounts, which could lead to financial trouble down the road, one financial expert warns.

As previously reported by FOX Business, the IRS did not create new W-4 forms based on the updated law. As a result, for the current year employers are using the documents already on file, which are not tailored to the updated policies.

By Nathan Bomey & Elizabeth Weise; USA TODAY ~ Jan 30, 2018

A budding alliance of Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase could eventually deliver savings and better health care for patients while posing a serious threat to medical companies that are reaping big profits off of the status quo.

Business titans Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Jamie Dimon announced Tuesday that their companies would form an independent health care company, leaving insurers, drugmakers and pharmacy benefit managers to face a potentially seismic shift in the marketplace.

By Darla Mercado, CNBC; USA TODAY ~ Jan 29, 2018

Here’s how you can shore up your finances and lengthen your life expectancy at the same time: Follow your doctor’s orders.

A recent report from HealthyCapital, a company that provides healthcare cost data, showed that properly managing a chronic illness could save you thousands a year before you retire.

By Kelsey Kusterer Ziser; Light Reading ~ Jan 26, 2018

If the cloud is becoming the “petri dish of innovation” as AT&T’s David Ohrn thinks it is, what can businesses expect to grow from it? For those companies looking to build out their digital transformation plans, Ohrn believes there are big new insights to be gleaned from artificial intelligence and analytics that can help in that journey.