Premier is considering selling its business amid growing financial challenges, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Connecticut, North Carolina, and Washington.

• Connecticut: The Connecticut General Assembly is considering several changes to the state's Medicaid program, which provides health coverage for over a quarter of state residents. Currently, the state offers Medicaid to children who are 12 and younger, regardless of immigration status. In a new proposal, $3 million would be used to extend this coverage for children up to the age of 15 starting in July 2024. According to advocates of the proposal, they plan to press for a broader age limit to the expansion, which had previously been 18. The Appropriations Committee also proposed increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for physician services from 57.5% to 65% of Medicare rates starting January 1, 2024 — the most significant rate increase in nearly two decades. Other proposed bills include Medicaid reimbursement for community health workers and increases to both the income and asset limits for HUSKY C, the Medicaid program for people who are over 65, blind, or disabled. (CT Mirror, 5/8)
• North Carolina: Premier is considering selling all or part of the company as it evaluates strategic alternatives for its future. The organization, which has a member network of over 4,400 hospitals and health system, has established a special committee to review various options, including financial restructuring and partnerships, in addition to a possible sale. "Evolving market dynamics, coupled with an uncertain and challenging operating environment, compel us to take further action to adapt and help ensure Premier is best positioned for future success," said Premier president and CEO Michael Alkire. In Premier's earnings report for the nine months ending March 31, the company noted a 9% drop in revenue and a 34% drop in net income. Currently, it's unclear how a potential sale or other actions will impact Premier's member hospitals. (Kacik, Modern Healthcare, 5/8)
• Washington: In the KEN SHE clinical trial, which was run by the University of Washington and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, researchers found that a single dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can prevent infections for over three years, potentially lowering rates of cervical cancer and other diseases linked to the virus. In the trial, 2,275 Kenyan women ages 15 to 20 were randomly assigned to receive either a single dose of the HPV vaccine for subtypes 16 and 18; an HPV vaccine for 16, 18, and seven other subtypes; or a meningococcal vaccine as a control. Overall, the vaccine had an efficacy of 98% against HPV subtypes 16 and 18 over three years and 96% against all cancer-causing strains. No serious side effects from the vaccines were reported. According to the World Health Organization, implementing a single-dose strategy could prevent 60 million cervical cancer cases and 45 million related deaths around the globe over the next century. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer among women, with around 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths worldwide in 2020, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. "This is a real killer of women," said Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, which funds immunization programs in lower-income countries. "It is also a disease that really kills women in the prime of their lives and does it in a really horrible way." (Mandavilli, New York Times, 5/2)