Month: September 2022
A U.S. judge on Monday denied the Justice Department’s bid to stop UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) from buying Change Healthcare (CHNG.O), in a blow to the U.S. administration’s tougher enforcement of antitrust issues. Change shares rose 7% after the close of trading. The Justice Department had filed a lawsuit in February aimed at stopping the $8 billion acquisition, saying ...
Medicare Advantage is better about coaxing seniors to get preventive healthcare while traditional Medicare lands its beneficiaries in higher quality hospitals, an analysis of more than 60 studies shows. “Enrollees in Medicare Advantage were more likely to get routine check-ups and immunizations, while those in traditional Medicare were more likely to receive care in the highest-rated ...
Christina Green hoped cataract surgery would clear up her cloudy vision, which had worsened after she took a drug to fight her breast cancer. But the former English professor said her 2019 surgery with Ophthalmology Consultants didn’t get her to 20/20 vision or fix her astigmatism — despite a $3,000 out-of-pocket charge for the astigmatism ...
Dr. Nelson Onaro conceded last summer that he’d written illegal prescriptions, although he said he was thinking only of his patients. From a tiny, brick clinic in Oklahoma, he doled out hundreds of opioid pills and dozens of fentanyl patches with no legitimate medical purpose. “Those medications were prescribed to help my patients, from my own ...
On a map showing levels of COVID-19 across the U.S., Nevada stands out as a rare oasis of green. Green, on the map displayed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, means that a community is experiencing low levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases. For weeks, Nevada has been among the greenest states, ...
To compete effectively in today’s market, it’s important you stay connected with your clients and prospects. If you’re helping them stay up to date on what’s happening locally with health insurance, employee benefits, and regulations affecting their businesses, they’re more likely to think of you in the future.
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation that would streamline the prior authorization (PA) process used for Medicare Advantage patients. The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which has earned strong support from medical organizations, will move to the Senate for consideration. It already has strong bipartisan support there. The law proposes to make it ...
The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that the number of coronavirus deaths worldwide last week was the lowest reported in the pandemic since March 2020, marking what could be a turning point in the years-long global outbreak. At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world has ...
CVS, Walgreens and Amazon are ramping up their focus on in-home medical services and primary care and it will cause major disruptions for more traditional brick-and-mortar providers, industry experts say. Major retailers, including Walmart, are extending their reach deeper into the care continuum and it has major implications for how and where care is delivered ...
Inflation could make the upcoming open enrollment period more challenging than usual for brokers. Four in 10 U.S. employees expect to scale back on the benefits they select, while nearly half say inflation is making it harder for them to pay for benefits.