A group of legislators is calling on the Department of Justice to dig into whether pharmacy benefit managers played a role in the opioid epidemic. The letter (PDF) was sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland last week and was signed by Reps. Buddy Carter, R-Georgia; Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois; Deborah K. Ross, D-North Carolina; and Cliff Benz, R-Oregon. ...

As a new legislative session gets underway in Sacramento next week, officials are sending mixed signals about the state of the state budget and just how ambitious California can afford to be in the coming year. A mere week ago, the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal adviser released its annual outlook, projecting a small deficit that could soon ...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is attempting to cover anti-obesity medications under Medicare Part D and Medicaid, the agency announced Nov. 26. Under the Contract Year 2026 MA and Part D proposed rule (PDF), CMS is choosing to follow conventional medical thinking that obesity is a disease. As such, the agency is then able to ...

California’s new initiative to compel treatment for some of the state’s most severely mentally ill residents — many of whom are living on the streets — is falling short of its initial objectives. But with the program expanding from 11 counties to all 58 on Dec. 1, state officials are projecting confidence that they can ...

The price of Wegovy, the diabetes control drug's glamorous anti-obesity sibling, may also be falling, according to a Health and Human Services report.

Benefits Pro reported in October 2024 that about one-third (34%) of employers anticipate shifting their employee benefits cost increase to employees. However, most businesses are considering alternatives that could help them avoid that cost shifting. Businesses are forecasting cost increases of as much as nine percent in 2025 (7.7% according to Benefits Pro). That is up from ...