Trending News Today: Anthem Fights Lawsuit Blocking Merger with Cigna

The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released its hospital quality ratings that were calculated through patient surveys, much to the chagrin of the hospital industry. Only 102 out of 3617 hospitals had the highest rating of 5 stars, and a few of those hospitals are considered to be the top hospitals by other ratings, according to Kaiser Health News. Obscure hospitals, and those that specialize in specific types of surgery, comprise a majority of the 5-star ratings.

Anthem is preparing to fight the recent lawsuit filed to stop them from acquiring Cigna. Anthem has even stated that their participation in Affordable Care Act marketplaces may be at risk, according to The New York Times. This insurer currently provides insurance coverage for 923,000 people in the marketplace.

While politicians speak about the urgency of stopping the opioid epidemic, a law was recently passed with little opposition that would make government intervention in the pharmaceutical industry more difficult. The law lets drug manufacturers who did not report suspicious drug orders create an action plan to the DEA to prevent them from taking action against the company, according to the Los Angeles Times. Advocates for the law said that this will allow patients to access medications, and encourage cooperation between the 2 entities.