Giving Compass' Take:

• Tony Abraham and Samantha Liss unpack healthcare trends to watch in 2019 from both the provider and payer perspectives. 

• How can funders use this information to direct healthcare giving in 2019?

• Learn about uniting payers and providers to improve healthcare. 

This year the industry will reckon with some massive changes set in motion in 2018, such as megamergers like CVS-Aetna and Cigna-Express Scripts and a judge's contentious declaration that the Affordable Care Act is no longer constitutional.

On the policy front, newly-installed Democrats in Congress (and the party's 2020 presidential candidates) will be pushing for more comprehensive health coverage plans while the GOP considers tougher Medicaid restrictions at the state, and potentially federal, level.

Meanwhile, some familiar storylines are likely to continue. Effusive digital health funding and increases in mobile and telehealth services show no signs of abating, and neither does general M&A activity.

Here's a snapshot of a few big trends for the payer and provider crowds to watch for in 2019.

Providers: Behavioral care goes primary, investment in digital

  1. Narrowing gaps in population, behavioral healthcare
  2. Doubling down on digital
  3. Price transparency still a question mark

Payers: Contract fights, a focus on value and more managed care

  1. Contentious negotiations and contract disputes
  2. Value-based momentum
  3. Medicare Advantage still lucrative, popular
  4. Medicaid managed care growth

Read the full article about healthcare trends by Tony Abraham and Samantha Liss at Healthcare Dive.