Author: Scott Welch
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday to close a $2.8 billion budget gap in the state’s Medicaid services and ensure coverage through June for 15 million people, including immigrants, who receive health care via the program. The legislation is part of the state’s solution to solve the $6.2 billion hole in the state’s Medicaid budget. It ...
A new California law is about to make infertility coverage – including IVF (in vitro fertilization) – a standard benefit in fully insured Large Group plans. SB 729, signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2024, requires plans issued, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, to include coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of ...
The future of benefits selection should feel less like an overwhelming trip to an unfamiliar supermarket and more like the seamless, intuitive experience of online shopping.
Engaging in a long-term meditation practice could significantly alleviate stress and slow down aging, suggests a new study published in the journal Biomolecules. Researchers from Maharishi International University (MIU), the University of Siegen, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences studied the effectiveness of transcendental meditation, which is a program where people silently repeat a ...
A coalition of states sued the Trump administration last Tuesday over its decision to cut $11 billion in federal funds that go toward COVID-19 initiatives and various public health projects across the country.
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks $11 Billion In Trump Administration’s Cuts To Public Health Funding
A federal judge last Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's move to cut over $11 billion in public health funding to states after 23 states and the District of Columbia sued to keep the funding intact.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized an increase of the average benchmark payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans by 5.06%, or $25 billion, on Monday. It is nearly a three-percentage-point increase over the advance notice proposed in the waning days of the Biden administration and will be seen as favorable to payers. ...
Commonly used drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic were exempt from President Donald Trump’s expansive reciprocal tariffs announced earlier this week, which are expected to drive prices up across several industries, though analysts and Trump have warned that future tariffs will likely target imported medicines. Key Facts Trump imposed a baseline 10% on most U.S. imports ...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a Medicare Advantage (MA) rule proposed by the Biden administration but is choosing to leave out the rule’s flashiest policy. As outlined by the CMS, the Trump administration’s final rule will not include three proposals included in the initial proposal, including the plan to cover anti-obesity ...
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent an urgent appeal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Saturday, imploring the department to reverse the abrupt cancellation of a Biden-era program that feeds millions of California families and has served as a lifeline for hundreds of small farmers since its inception in 2021. “The irrational and malicious slashing of funds ...