The Friday Five for March 20, 2026:

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Rueppel Recommends:

Minemyer, Paige. “The feds will overpay Medicare Advantage plans by $76B this year, MedPAC estimates.” Fiercehealthcare.com, Fierce Healthcare, 13 Mar 2026, https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/feds-will-overpay-medicare-advantage-plans-76b-year-medpac-estimates.

Minemyer, Page. “Joint Economic Committee report: Medicare Advantage overpayments drive up Part B premiums.” Fiercehealthcare.com, Fierce Healthcare, 13 Mar 2026, https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/joint-economic-committee-report-medicare-advantage-overpayments-drive-part-b-premiums.

“Medicare Payment Policy March 2026.” Medpac.Gov, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Mar. 2026, www.medpac.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Mar26_MedPAC_Report_To_Congress_SEC.pdf.

“The Part B Premium PassThrough: Medicare Advantage Overpayments Inflate Premiums for All.” Jec.Senate.Gov, Join Economic Committee, 10 Mar. 2026, www.jec.senate.gov/public/vendor/_accounts/JEC-R/issue-briefs/The%20Part%20B%20Premium%20Pass-Through.pdf.

Audible launches Standard Plan:

“Audible Membership Plans & Pricing.” Audible.Com, Audible, www.audible.com/ep/memberbenefits. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.

Davies, Rowan. "Audible launches a cheaper audiobook tier that’s perfect for entry-level listeners as Spotify continues to hike prices — here’s what you get with the new $9 plan." Techradar.com, Tech Radar, 4 Mar. 2026, https://www.techradar.com/audio/audiobooks/audible-launches-a-cheaper-audiobook-tier-thats-perfect-for-entry-level-listeners-as-spotify-continues-to-hike-prices-heres-what-you-get-with-the-new-usd9-plan.

Mehrotra, Pranob. "Audible’s new Standard plan makes it easy to enjoy audiobooks for less." Digitaltrends.com, Digital Trends, 3 Mar. 2026, https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/audibles-new-standard-plan-makes-it-easy-to-enjoy-audiobooks-for-less/.

Universal Health Services to Acquire Talkspace:

“Universal Health Services, Inc. to Acquire Talkspace, Inc.” Uhs.Com, Universal Health Services, Inc., 9 Mar. 2026, uhs.com/news/universal-health-services-inc-to-acquire-talkspace-inc/.

Gliadkovskaya, Anastassia, and Dave Muoio. “Universal Health Services to Acquire Talkspace in $835M Deal to Build out Virtual Behavioral Health.” Fiercehealthcare.Com, Fierce Healthcare, 9 Mar. 2026, www.fiercehealthcare.com/finance/uhs-acquire-talkspace-estimated-835-million-transaction.

Manufacturer Participation in CMS 2028 Medicare Drug Price Negotiation

“CMS Announces Manufacturer Participation in Third Cycle of Medicare Drug Price Negotiation.” CMS.Gov, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 13 Mar. 2026, www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-announces-manufacturer-participation-third-cycle-medicare-drug-price-negotiation.

Cubanski, Juliette, and Tricia Neuman. “Key Facts About Medicare Drug Price Negotiation.” Kff.Org, KFF, 11 Mar. 2026, www.kff.org/medicare/key-facts-about-medicare-drug-price-negotiation/.

“Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program: Selected Drugs for Initial Price Applicability Year 2028.” Cms.Gov, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, www.cms.gov/files/document/factsheet-medicare-negotiation-selected-drug-list-ipay-2028.pdf. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

Microsoft Announces Copilot Health:

“Introducing Copilot Health.” Mcrosoft.Ai, Microsoft, 12 Mar. 2026, microsoft.ai/news/introducing-copilot-health/.

Bonifield, Stevie. “Microsoft’s Copilot Health can connect to your medical records and wearables.” Theverge.com, The Verge, 12 Mar. 2026, https://www.theverge.com/tech/893594/microsoft-copilot-health-launch.

Landi, Heather. “Microsoft unveils Copilot Health as an AI health companion for consumers.” Fiercehealthcare.com, Fierce Healthcare, 12 Mar. 2026, https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ai-and-machine-learning/microsoft-unveils-copilot-health-ai-health-companion-consumers.

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