> Approximately 12 percent of enrollees in Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans will have access to 10 vaccines in 2016 without out-of-pocket costs, according to a new analysis from Avalere. This figure is up from 2011, when it was only 5 percent. Analysis
> A federal appeals court in Atlanta upheld a contraceptive mandate included in the Affordable Care Act, but has delayed the implementation of its ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court can weigh in on the issue, according to the Associated Press. Article
Health IT News
> IBM aims to improve the capabilities of its Watson Health system by acquiring Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Truven Health Analytics. IBM will pay $2.6 billion for Truven, a health data analytics company that counts federal and state government agencies, hospitals and health plans among its 8,500 clients. Truven's "technology, methodologies and health claims data will be integrated into the Watson Health Cloud over time." Article
Health Finance News
> Two non-profit hospitals in Illinois have been ordered by a regulatory board to pay property taxes as a result of the state's law governing the matter being put in legal limbo. Article
And finally… Telling the future from 1857. Article