Why Humana went deep on primary care

Hello,

Today in healthcare news: Why Humana is betting big on primary care, the CDC doesn't know how many vaccine doses the US has, and why there could be a higher risk among those who get the more contagious coronavirus variant in the UK.

The CEO of major health insurer Humana laid out why he's betting big on primary care

• Major insurer Humana wants to own both health insurance and care delivery.
• It's doubling down on investing in primary-care clinics to lower healthcare costs, CEO Bruce Broussard told Insider.
• Humana's primary-care ambitions are emblematic of a movement among insurers to do more than pay medical claims.

Read the full story from Shelby Livingston here>>

The CDC doesn't know how many vaccine doses the US has, its new head said. This is one of the 'biggest problems' with the rollout, she said.

• The director of the CDC said Sunday that she doesn't know how many COVID-19 vaccine doses are in the US.
• This means states can't plan how many vaccination sites to use or how many appointments to make, Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Fox News.
• It could lead to wastage or long lines at vaccine centres, Walensky warned.

Read the full story from Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce here>>

UK officials say people who get the contagious coronavirus variant may have a higher risk of death. Here's why that could be.

• UK officials announced on Friday that the coronavirus variant discovered there may have a higher mortality rate than the original.
• That may be because people sick with the variant have higher viral loads - more virus in their bodies - a factor linked with more severe COVID-19.
• The variant is more transmissible, so more people are getting infected, which may cause a higher death toll.

Read the full story from Aylin Woodward here>>

More stories we're reading:

• The Wall Street Journal has a great headline (and read) about Insider's 2020 success (The Wall Street Journal)
• The CEO of telemedicine company Hims is 'optimistic' about Biden's healthcare plan: 'There's a great sense of relief.' (Insider)
• Biden's working on getting vaccinations up to 1.5 million a day (NBC News)
• SIGN UP HERE: Hear from healthcare's biggest investors on the future of digital health, biotech, and startups (Insider)

- Lydia