September 10, 2019
The number of people in the U.S. without health insurance jumped by 2 million from 2017 to a total of 27.5 million in 2018, according to census data release Tuesday. It’s the first time the census survey reported an increase in those without insurance since 2009, before ObamaCare took effect and vastly expanded coverage. Read More
September 10, 2019
The author of a bill to clamp down on school vaccine exemptions agreed to scale back parts of it under a deal reached Friday with Gov. Gavin Newsom following a chaotic week of negotiations. But their pact was quickly met with fierce opposition from protesters who had hoped the governor’s apprehension signaled trouble for Senate Bill 276. Read More
September 10, 2019
Cyber criminals have come up with a new strategy for getting insurance agents and brokers to click on dangerous links: They convey the idea that they’re insurance industry insiders by referring both to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and to the NAIC’s Center for Insurance Policy and Research (CIPR). Read More
September 10, 2019
Private insurance companies are expecting to pay out a record of at least $1.3 billion in rebates to consumers this fall based on their share of premium revenues devoted to health care expenses in recent years, surpassing the previous record high of $1.1 billion in 2012, according to a new KFF analysis. Read More
September 10, 2019
Health insurers are now pleading with the U.S. Supreme Court to get it to make the rest of the federal government to pay $12.4 billion in Affordable Care Act (ACA) risk corridors program bills. Read More
September 10, 2019
Whether Congress will act this year to address the affordability of prescription drugs — a high priority among voters — remains uncertain. But states aren’t waiting. Read More
September 10, 2019
Administering pricey specialty drugs in doctors' offices and patients' homes instead of hospitals could reduce drug costs by $4 billion a year for insurance plans, according to a study from insurance giant UnitedHealth Group. Read More
September 10, 2019
Democratic legislators are advancing a bill that aims to provide free health care to low-income undocumented seniors — an idea that they floated earlier this year, but which failed to make it into the state budget because of concerns over its cost. Read More
September 10, 2019
Despite 52 amendments added to the legislation just last week, the California Senate voted 21-19 on Sept. 9 to accept the changes and approve A.B. 290, a bill aimed at restricting dialysis provider profits in the state and limiting the use of third-party payers, like the American Kidney Fund. Read More
September 10, 2019
Pharma watchers have been awaiting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s drug pricing plan, and on Monday the industry got a peek at what Democrats are discussing to lower drug prices. The upshot? If the House leadership gets its way, it would devastate pharma's pricing power. Read More