• Illinois: The American Medical Association (AMA) announced that John Whyte will be its new CEO and EVP starting July 1. Whyte, who is currently CMO at WebMD, will replace James Madara, who served as AMA's CEO and EVP for 14 years. Before joining WebMD, Whyte was chief medical expert and VP of health and medical education at the Discovery Channel. He has also held several healthcare positions in the federal government, including at FDA and CMS. "Dr. Whyte is an exceptionally qualified leader who has distinguished himself across many fronts. He is uniquely positioned to lead the AMA at this pivotal time and offers a deep and nuanced understanding of the AMA's mission, governance, and evolving role — ensuring both continuity and meaningful progress toward the association's goals," said Michael Suk, AMA board chair. (Morse, Healthcare Finance, 5/12)
• Maryland: According to CMS, a record 24.3 million people signed up for health insurance through federal and state marketplaces during the exchanges open enrollment period for 2025 — a 13% increase from the number of enrollments the year before. Enhanced subsidies, which were originally enacted in 2021 and later extended in 2022, have helped increase the number of health insurance marketplace enrollments. However, these subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year if Congress does not decide to extend them. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 3.8 million people would lose their insurance if the enhanced subsidies are not extended. Benchmark premiums would also increase by an average of 7.6% over the next 10 years. (Tepper, Modern Healthcare, 5/12)
• Pennsylvania: Rite Aid has sold the pharmacy assets of more than 1,000 of its stores to several competitors, including CVS Health, Walgreens, Albertsons, and Kroger. CVS was the largest buyer, purchasing the prescription files of over 600 Rite Aid stores in 15 states. The company also agreed to buy 64 Rite Aid locations in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. "These agreements ensure our pharmacy customers will experience a smooth transition while preserving jobs for some of our valued team members," said Rite Aid CEO Matt Schroeder. Earlier this month, Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy a second time, citing continued financial difficulties. The company first filed for bankruptcy in October 2023 and finalized the Chapter 11 process in September 2024. As Rite Aid goes through the bankruptcy process again, it said that its stores would remain open and customers could continue to access pharmacy services "without interruption." (Valinsky, CNN, 5/16)

Host Rachel Woods invites healthcare strategy expert Colin Gelbaugh and pharmacy expert Gina Lohr to discuss disruptors and the growing competition in the healthcare industry.