Biography for Leslie Small

Leslie Small is an editor for FierceHealthcare. Before joining Fierce, she worked as an editor for newspapers in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Staunton, Virginia; and the Delaware County Daily Times in her native suburban Philadelphia. She holds a B.A. in journalism and political science from Penn State University, and is an avid—if sometimes tortured—Philly sports fan. She enjoys exploring new places, trying new restaurants, visiting museums, reading, hiking and pretending to be good at snowboarding.

Articles by Leslie Small

Montana's plan to put private firm in charge of Medicaid expansion likely to be pricey

Now that is has unveiled its plan to expand Medicaid, Montana must decide on a private firm to manage the program--and the cost is likely to be high.

As uninsured rate dips, so do ethnic coverage disparities

Amid news that the overall rate of uninsured Americans has declined, a study also highlights the progress the country has made in closing coverage gaps between minority groups and white adults.

Could insurer mergers lead to a single-payer system?

Since four of the country's major health insurers announced their plans to pair off, the primary industry reaction has been characterized by scrutiny and skepticism. But Art Caplan, founding director of the Division of Medical Ethics in NYU Langone Medical Center's Department of Population Health, is the rare exception to this rule, writing in an opinion piece for The Health Care Blog that stopping these deals is a "terrible idea."

Aetna's plan to disrupt the healthcare industry

Before Aetna gained national attention with its plan to merge with fellow health insurer Humana, CEO Mark Bertolini has been hard at work trying to disrupt what he sees as a broken healthcare system, according to a strategy+business blog post.  

 

Senator wants Congress to act on cybersecurity in wake of Excellus breach

The latest healthcare data breach, which involved a massive hack of Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, has a U.S. senator calling for action on a cybersecurity bill that has been stalled in Congress.

What policymakers can learn from Medicaid managed care innovations

States that want their programs to better serve the growing ranks of Medicaid enrollees should look to some of the innovative solutions employed by Medicaid managed care organizations, according to a new white paper from the Anthem Public Policy Institute.

 

Appeals court resurrects precedent-setting suit against Aetna

The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower-court decision in a potentially precedent-setting case about the rules governing when healthcare providers can sue health insurers for payment of benefits.

What's at stake for insurers in latest legal threat to ACA

Now that a judge has ruled that House Republicans can sue the Obama administration over a provision of the Affordable Care Act, this time it's insurers rather than consumers that stand to feel the pain if the ACA's opponents get their way.

Partisan bickering distracts from real healthcare policy issues

Ah, Capitol Hill. Just when you start to have high hopes that our elected representatives are taking on the important issues--in this case, a hearing about consolidation in the healthcare...

After merger divestitures, MA market will be primed for disruption

In order to gain federal approval of their proposed mergers, some of the country's large insurers will have to sell off part of their Medicare Advantage business, leaving the market "ripe for disruption" by smaller plans.