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The past year saw a material increase in downgrades over 2022 while the number of upgrades declined from the prior year. Here are five key takeaways from rating activity in 2023.

The Health Insurance Exchange (HIX) or Marketplace segment can be considered the largest growth market in the payer sector after Medicare Advantage (MA). From a relative low of 11.4 million members in 2020, the HIX market grew to 16.4 million members in 2023.

The hospital leadership issues that really matter right now center around the ability of hospital executives to possess and demonstrate an authentic emotional IQ to lead a diverse workforce in difficult circumstances.

Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly and relentlessly pushing into business practice generally, and healthcare specifically. Healthcare leaders must learn how the endless potential applications of AI might affect their organizations in the very near future.

The concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence explored by Arthur Brooks in his new book, “From Strength to Strength,” offer a new way for health system leaders to look at their executive team and find the proper balance between different types of intelligence.

How can board members play a helpful role in rating agency meetings if they are invited to attend? Here are three ways in which board members can add value to the rating presentation.

Responses to Kaufman Hall’s 2023 “State of Healthcare Performance Improvement” report indicate ongoing concern regarding covenant challenges in 2024. Organizations need to understand the causes of covenant misses and near misses and build a durable financial plan for the future.

Today, the commercial group health insurance market is hollowing out, primarily driven by affordability pressures that have been building for decades.

Before you can establish the organizational thought platform that best guides your hospital forward, you will need a leadership team that is committed to creating a “listening and learning” healthcare company.

Balance sheet strength has buffered consumers and businesses from some of the restrictive shock of higher rates. With a relatively brittle revenue model in healthcare, the focus becomes whether, when, and how to restructure operations as balance sheets are spent down.

The number of not-for-profit hospital rating downgrades has escalated in 2023, suggesting that benefit of the doubt is running out. Hospitals will need to go the extra mile when preparing material for their rating agency meetings.

Medicare Advantage has been a tremendous growth story in recent years. Today, however, new risks are emerging from both providers and regulators that could stall and perhaps even reverse the growth strides health plans have made in the MA market.