Biden Admin Lays Out Medicare Drug Negotiation Process

The Biden administration on Wednesday began fleshing out how it will implement drug-pricing provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, including a multi-step negotiation process for selected Medicare drugs starting next year. Why it matters: The law gave the administration discretion to work out many details of the first-ever drug price talks, which will initially cover 10 ...

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Nearly 1 In 3 Patients Don’t See Primary Care Doc

Nearly 30% of all patients who received medical services between 2016 and 2022 did not see a primary care physician, a FAIR Health analysis provided first to Axios shows. Why it matters: Primary care providers are supposed to manage patients’ day-to-day health needs and provide preventative care, and evidence shows it can drive down costs and improve outcomes. ...

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Novo Nordisk Plans Price Cuts For Several Insulins

Another major insulin maker has promised steep price cuts, as pressure grows on drugmakers and insurers to trim the cost of a medication that millions of Americans need. Novo Nordisk said Tuesday that it will slash some of its U.S. insulin prices up to 75% starting next year. The announcement comes less than two weeks ...

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Here Are The Top Health Items In Biden’s New Fiscal 2024 Proposed Budget

President Joe Biden released his budget for the 2024 federal fiscal year, outlining new investments to expand Medicaid, drug price reforms and other new policies. While the budget itself is unlikely to get enacted by a divided Congress, the document does outline key health priorities for the administration.

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CAA 2022 Prescription Drug Data Collection (RxDC) Requirements For Health Plans – Due June 1st, 2023

The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) Rx Data Collection (RxDC) component requires health plans/issuers to produce and file reports on prescription drug and health care spending for the 2022 calendar year by 6/1/2023. These reports are due annually and will be due by June 1st each year thereafter. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a RxDC Reporting Instructions Guide to help facilitate reporting.

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Feds Move to Rein In Prior Authorization, a System That Harms and Frustrates Patients

Few things about the American health care system infuriate patients and doctors more than prior authorization, a common tool whose use by insurers has exploded in recent years.

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The Word & Brown Companies Achieve HITRUST Risk-based, Two-year Certification to Manage Risk, Improve Security Posture, and Meet Compliance Requirements

The Word & Brown Companies today announced that key operating systems in use by Word & Brown® General Agency and CHOICE Administrators® have earned Certified status for information security by HITRUST.

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CMS Proposes Prior Authorization Rule Changes For Health Plans

When Paula Chestnut needed hip replacement surgery last year, a pre-operative X-ray found irregularities in her chest. As a smoker for 40 years, Chestnut was at high risk for lung cancer. A specialist in Los Angeles recommended the 67-year-old undergo an MRI, a high-resolution image that could help spot the disease. But her MRI appointment ...

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Senators Urge CMS To Close ‘Loopholes’ In Payer Price Transparency Rule

Two top senators are urging the Biden administration to address “loopholes” that they said allow insurers to skirt price transparency requirements. Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, and Mike Braun, R-Indiana, wrote in a letter (PDF) to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure that the agency should update its regulations to “ensure that there is ...

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Explaining to Clients the Value Brokers Bring to Shopping for Group Health Insurance

Not all employee benefits managers and business owners understand the real advantages of using a health insurance broker. You can help them by explaining the value they gain by working with you when shopping for employee benefits for their businesses and employees.

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