What’s At Stake For Employers In Congress’s Drug Pricing Fight

Employers and their workers have hundreds of billions of dollars at stake in the fight over House Democrats’ drug pricing bill, according to a new West Health Policy Center analysis. Why it matters: If anyone has the political clout to take on the drug industry, it’s employers. By the numbers: The House bill could reduce employer health spending by ...

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Insurers And Brokers Create New Advocacy Group Aimed At Spurring Use Of HRAs

A group of insurers and brokers has created a new advocacy group aimed at preserving health reimbursement arrangements that could be targeted by the Biden administration. The new HRA Council, launched Friday, will serve as a nonpartisan advocacy group aimed at raising awareness about individual and small employer HRAs, which allow employers to subsidize their ...

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Coverage Implications of Policies to Lower the Age of Medicare Eligibility

President Biden proposed lowering the age of Medicare eligibility to 60 during the presidential campaign and reiterated his support recently, with the goal of broadening coverage and making health coverage affordable for older adults.  Proposals to lower the age of Medicare, either to 60 or a younger age, may be considered by Congress.  One KFF analysis shows ...

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Pandemic Leads Doctors to Rethink Unnecessary Treatment

Covid-19 is opening the door for researchers to address a problem that has vexed the medical community for decades: the overtreatment and unnecessary treatment of patients. On one hand, the pandemic caused major health setbacks for non-covid patients who were forced to, or chose to, avoid tests and treatments for various illnesses. On the other hand, in ...

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Corporations Encourage Employee Vaccination but Stop Short of Mandates

Many of the companies with the largest number of employees say they’ll do almost anything to encourage their employees to get vaccinated. But a survey of some of them found that none would be inclined to mandate shots as a condition for holding a job. Almost all 15 companies surveyed — among the largest and ...

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Health Insurance Companies Owe Refunds To Millions Of Consumers — Maybe You?

Among the proposals in President Joe Biden’s recently announced American Families Plan is an indefinite extension of the expanded Obamacare subsidies originally passed in March as part of the administration’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan. If that weren’t already enough good news on the health care front, private insurance companies are also expected to dole out $2.1 ...

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CDC Says Fully Vaccinated People Don’t Need To Wear Face Masks Indoors Or Outdoors In Most Settings

Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a face mask or stay 6 feet away from others in most settings, whether outdoors or indoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated public health guidance released Thursday.

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When Do Californians Still Need To Wear A Mask And What Will Change On June 15?

California announced Monday it’ll continue requiring almost everyone — including fully vaccinated individuals — to wear masks in most indoor settings until June 15, bucking the trend of other states across the nation that are quickly adopting looser guidelines released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Is It A HIPAA Violation If Businesses Request Proof Of COVID Vaccine? What Experts Say

Some businesses are lifting face mask requirements for customers who are vaccinated against COVID-19, raising questions about medical privacy.

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How Small Businesses Faced The Challenges Of The Pandemic

As the pandemic slowly begins to wind down, economists are taking the pulse of small business. Their performance is critical to the overall U.S. economy, with small businesses employing nearly half of the workforce, creating two-thirds of net new jobs and accounting for 44 percent of economic activity.

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