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Two multi-billion-dollar health systems in Virginia and North Carolina—Sentara Healthcare and Cone Health—announced Wednesday they plan to merge to create a 17-hospital system. The CEOs of both not-for-profit health systems shot down the notion that the proposed deal is happening in response to pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, they said they believe it will help patients by expanding access to care and adding new insurance options and caregivers by adding stability. Norfolk, Virginia-based Sentara and Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone have signed a letter of intent and hope to close the deal in early to mid-2021. (Bannow, 8/12)

People seeking coverage in the Georgia health insurance exchange for 2021 will see moderate price increases and a similar choice of plans. All six insurers that offer health plans in this year’s exchange are returning to the market for 2021 coverage, according to initial filings with the state insurance department. The exchange, created by the Affordable Care Act, is designed to offer insurance for people who do not have job-based or government coverage. (Miller, 8/10)

Houston added 8,000 jobs in the health care sector in June, recovering from major employment losses for the second month in a row. But analysts said it’s too early to know whether that trend will continue for the rest of the summer. (Wu, 8/12)

Kaiser Health News: Listen: Will Telemedicine Outlast The Pandemic? 

Julie Rovner, KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, on Tuesday joined WDET’s “Detroit Today” host Stephen Henderson and Dr. George Kipa, the deputy chief medical officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, to talk about the future of telemedicine and whether Medicare and private insurers will continue to pay for those services. (Rovner, 8/12)