Rich Daly
About the Author
Rich Daly is senior editor, policy affairs with HFMA, based in Alabama. His healthcare policy and finance reporting experience includes staff writer positions with Modern Healthcare and Congressional Quarterly (both focused on healthcare regulatory and legislative developments); editor-in-chief of 340B Report (the only news outlet focused on daily policy, legal, and business developments in the 340B program); and serving as a content director for Sg2/Vizient Inc (producing reports on financial pain points and solutions for health systems). He previously covered daily news for HFMA and wrote features for Healthcare Financial Management magazine, where his recognitions included the Stephen Barr Award (the only individual achievement award) from the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Latest Work
Avalere analysis shows mixed results for federal value-based payment models
Avalere analysis found that 18 value-based payment models implemented by the CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) drove a net increase of $7.7 billion in federal spending, with some models yielding substantial net Medicare savings while others generated substantial net Medicare losses.
Four financial challenges EDs face
Flat-to-declining payment rates, increasing Medicaid volumes, downcoding by payers, and increasing costs from waits and boarding have combined to increase financial challenges for hospital emergency departments in recent years.
Medicaid underpayments increasingly drive community benefits for nonprofit hospitals
Medicaid underpayments have increased from 32% to 45% of community benefits reported by nonprofit hospitals from 2011 to 2021, while financial assistance, or charity care, has decreased from 23% to 14% over the same period.
2025 healthcare policies timeline
The Trump administration and the Republican-led Congress have launched a flurry of healthcare initiatives and proposals since their first days. To help readers keep track of the wave of initiatives, below is a timeline of federal actions and our related coverage. Executive Actions Aug. 25: Healthcare fraud enforcement ramps up in the Trump administration, with…
Idaho is fourth state to require financial data from 340B entities
Idaho has enacted legislation requiring 340B covered entities to report a range of financial information to the state, joining three other states with similar laws and five other states considering similar requirements in the current legislative session.
For-profit health systems turn to AI and automation to manage payer denials
Some for-profit health systems are increasingly looking to AI and other automation tools to tackle the worsening problem of payer denial management, as 73% of providers have seen claims denials increase.
Medicaid work requirements gain support in polls, but cuts to federal funding have mixed reactions
Congressional Republicans have proposed several Medicaid cuts, including work requirements, provider tax reductions, and a reduction in the federal match for ACA enrollees, which have received mixed reactions from the public in recent polls.
Hospital employment sees 8.3% increase since pre-pandemic high
Hospital employment has increased by 8.3% since the pre-pandemic high, with the latest data showing a 11% increase in February 2025, and healthcare job creation rate quickened in February 2022, with healthcare jobs outpacing non-healthcare industries for 31 consecutive months.
What DOGE’s actions mean for U.S. healthcare
The federal government’s perennial search for fraud, waste and abuse (FWA) in its healthcare spending has become a key focus of the Trump administration and could presage deeper financial changes. The gathering storm has left health systems scrambling to prepare for the major financial headwinds that could come from the initiatives. President Donald Trump has…
Medicaid enrollment drops, but many newly insured patients switch to commercial plans
Medicaid enrollment peaked at 94.5 million in April 2023, but after the unwinding process, it fell to 79.3 million in October 2024, with over 25 million people disenrolled, but overall enrollment only decreased by about 13 million due to enrollment of newly eligible.