- According to the Business Roundtable, Democrats’ proposed corporate tax hike is one of the greatest threats to companies’ investment, hiring, and growth plans in the foreseeable future. The organization’s latest survey showed that CEOs have three primary concerns: difficulty finding and retaining qualified workers, a possible rise in the corporate tax rate, and slow COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Democrats have proposed raising the corporate tax rate to 26.5 percent, in addition to raising the individual income tax rate for top earners to 39.6 percent, a 3 percent surcharge on individual income above $5 million, and a capital gains tax of 25 percent. (Article here)
- Eight companies – including Centene, Highmark, and CareSource – joined a $75 million investment in Wayspring, a value-based care organization focused on substance use disorder (SUD). Wayspring began partnering with health plans in 2020 to take on full financial risk for their SUD populations in specific geographic areas in exchange for shared savings. The company will use the new investments to expand its full-risk medical home model for SUD in Arizona, Tennessee, and states in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, CEO Carter Paine said. (Press release here; Article here)
- A new analysis from the AMA found that 73 percent of metropolitan statistical areas are concentrated health insurance markets. The report, based on Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission horizontal merger guidelines, also found that a single insurer had at least half the market share in 46 percent of metropolitan areas and at least 30 percent of a market share in 91 percent of metropolitan areas. Fifty-seven percent of markets saw their concentration index rise since 2014. (Report here; Articles here and here)
September 29, 2021
Payers