Why Humana went deep on primary care

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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.

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Humana CEO Bruce Broussard poses for a portrait.

Reuters

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>>

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President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Dr. Rochelle Walensky to head up the CDC.

Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

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>>

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A row of ambulances parked outside the Royal London hospital

Daniel Leaf-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images

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>>

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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)

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- Lydia

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