Denver-based Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System is in a strong credit position with a "Aa3" credit rating from Moody's Investors Services, affirmed in October for $1.2 billion of its outstanding debt.

Hartford, Conn.-based health insurer Aetna announced new Medicare Advantage contracts that add more than 20 Ohio hospitals and systems to its network.

When each state's health insurance exchange opens for enrollment late this year, health insurance companies have expressed interest in offering plans on some, but not all of them, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn is in a heap of financial trouble, and the hospital could be insolvent as early as this May, according to a report (pdf) from New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

More than 100 protesters gathered outside a county building in downtown Pittsburgh yesterday, demanding that tax-exempt University of Pittsburgh Medical Center put more money toward city services and employee pay, according to a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) announced during her State of the State address that 19 Medicaid-designated rural hospitals in the state will receive 100 percent funding for any uncompensated care, starting this October.

The average per capita costs of hospital services covered by Medicare and commercial insurance increased 3.57 percent in the 12-month period ended November 2012 — a historic low since the S&P Healthcare Economic Indices started tracking the data.

HHS announced it has awarded $1.5 billion in new grants to 11 states to build their health insurance exchanges, a key element of the federal healthcare law that will allow individuals to purchase insurance in a regulated online.

Savings can't trump the quality of patient care — the caveat that starts any discussion about cost-cutting in the healthcare industry. But with patient volume on the rise, the enactment of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act and resource cuts,…

UnitedHealth Group's earnings in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012 dipped 1.1 percent from last year's fourth quarter, totaling $1.24 billion, but overall 2012 performance improved 7.5 percent from 2011.