As Cyber Attacks On Health Care Soar, So Does The Cost Of Cyber Insurance

Health systems buffeted by labor and supply chain costs and broader economic woes have another unwieldy financial problem: the soaring costs of cyber insurance.

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Biden Budget Will Propose Tax Increase to Bolster Medicare

President Biden, as part of his budget set for release on Thursday, will propose raising a tax on Americans earning more than $400,000 as part of a series of efforts to extend the solvency of Medicare by a quarter-century.

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After A Pandemic Pause, The State Will Restart Checking Medi-Cal Eligibility

California will soon restart its annual eligibility review for people enrolled in Medi-Cal, a process that has been suspended since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that starting in mid-April, residents enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state’s insurance program for low-income people, will start to receive renewal notices in the mail. The process will ...

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Teladoc-Owned BetterHelp To Pay $7.8M To Online Therapy Users For Alleged Data Misuse, Per FTC Order

The Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with online therapy company BetterHelp, which is owned by Teladoc, over allegations that it shared consumers’ health data with companies like Facebook and Snapchat for advertising purposes. As part of a proposed order announced Thursday, BetterHelp is banned from sharing consumers’ health data, including sensitive information about mental ...

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California To Alter COVID Rules In Healthcare Settings: Masks And Vaccinations Not Required

With the COVID-19 state of emergency a thing of the past, California health officials on Friday unveiled plans to relax guidance on masking in high-risk settings and to end vaccination requirements for healthcare workers.

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House Oversight Panel Launches New Probe Into Major PBM Tactics

A key House panel is demanding documents and communications from major pharmacy benefit managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx on what they call anti-competitive tactics such as spread pricing and rebates. The probe, announced Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee, is the latest signal Congress is seeking reforms to the PBM industry, as efforts ...

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CMS: US Health Care Spending Reached $4.3 Trillion In 2021 During COVID

During the peak COVID timeframe in 2021, the U.S. spent nearly $4.3 trillion on health care. Government insurance programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, made up 42% (or a whopping $1.8 trillion of national health care spending) in 2021. That’s according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which says private insurance programs, including employer-sponsored ...

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Can’t Take Statins? New Pill Cuts Cholesterol, Heart Attacks

Drugs known as statins are the first-choice treatment for high cholesterol but millions of people who can’t or won’t take those pills because of side effects may have another option. In a major study, a different kind of cholesterol-lowering drug named Nexletol reduced the risk of heart attacks and some other cardiovascular problems in people ...

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Virtual or In Person: Which Kind of Doctor’s Visit Is Better, And When It Matters

When the covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020 and emptied doctors’ offices nationwide, telemedicine was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Patients and their physicians turned to virtual visits by video or phone rather than risk meeting face-to-face. During the early months of the pandemic, telehealth visits for care exploded. “It was a dramatic shift ...

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‘Keto-Like’ Diet May Be Associated With A Higher Risk Of Heart Disease, According To New Research

A low-carb, high-fat “keto-like” diet may be linked to higher levels of “bad” cholesterol and double the risk of cardiovascular events such as blocked arteries, heart attacks and strokes, according to new research. “Our study found that regular consumption of a self-reported diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat was associated with increased levels ...

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