News From Around the Web
> Maine's Community Health Options, which has been one of the few successful consumer operated and oriented plans, will not accept new individual members after the current enrollment period ends later this month due to "significant growth over the last two years and higher than expected claims costs," the insurer said on its website. Announcement
> More than 1 million new customers have signed up for insurance through Healthcare.gov during the current open enrollment period, and about 1.8 million have renewed their coverage, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced. That includes more than 800,000 who selected plans during the fifth week of open enrollment, reflecting an expected uptick in consumer interest before the Dec. 15 deadline for selecting new coverage for Jan. 1. Announcement
> South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, a Republican, announced a plan to expand Medicaid in the state, though he said he wouldn't move forward with the plan if it ends up requiring extra money form the state's general fund, the Argus Leader reports. Article
> Cigna will not pay for 3-D mammograms, saying there's not enough evidence to support using the new technology to screen for breast cancer and pointing out that it uses twice the radiation of traditional screenings. But some clinicians tell Boston TV station WCVB that the new type of screening is superior and allows them to provide better patient care. Article
Healthcare News
> Some hospitals have taken to "prescribing" food for patients who face food insecurity, according to U.S. News & World Report. Article
Health IT News
> When it comes to secure health information exchange, all eyes are on 2016. At an event on hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Committee, government officials spoke of their interoperability plans for the coming year. Article
And finally… Slackers rejoice. Article