Author: Scott Welch
Americans’ out-of-pocket health spending rose 10.4% in 2021, a growth rate not seen since 1985 that was driven in part by demand for dental services, eyeglasses and medical supplies, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ annual National Health Expenditures report. The big picture: Overall health spending grew by only 2.7%, a much smaller rate than ...
Nevada has fast-tracked its application process for a temporary nursing license in an effort to ease the current shortage of pediatric nurses, officials said this week. The Nevada State Board of Nursing can now issue a temporary Nevada license within a couple hours to a nurse already licensed in another state, executive director Cathy Dinauer ...
In an environment of high inflation, health insurance costs are doing the opposite: They’ve begun to deflate, and are poised to continue dropping each month until fall 2023, economists predict. Health insurance prices fell by 4% in October and 4.3% in November, according to the consumer price index, a key measure of inflation. By comparison, the ...
Each year brings annual compliance responsibilities to employers regarding their health plans, federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance, and COBRA responsibilities. It’s important for employers to be aware of – and adhere to – these responsibilities, supported by their health insurance brokers.
Analysts at Mercer polled more than 2,000 employers representing 124 million full-time and part-time employees and found that they expect benefits costs to increase by 5.4% next year. And they're expecting faster cost growth to continue in the near future, according to the survey.
COVID-19 transmission continues to surge in California, along with spikes in other respiratory viruses, as state and local health officials urge indoor masking and additional precautions with end-of-year holidays approaching.
The federal system meant to stop health care business owners and executives from repeatedly bilking government health programs fails to do so, a KHN investigation has found.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid from the tobacco industry to block a California ban on flavored tobacco products. The ban, or Proposition 31, was overwhelmingly approved by voters in November and will prohibit the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. The emergency plea was brought by R.J. Reynolds, a ...
The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021 created a myriad of new compliance requirements for health plans, insurance issuers, insurance agents, and providers – all aimed to promote transparency. While the law was signed on December 27, 2020, many of its requirements and deadlines are approaching now. One of the new CAA requirements is for ...
The Biden administration wants to limit to two the number of nonstandardized Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange plans an insurer can offer on HealthCare.gov in 2024 as part of an effort to make it easier for consumers to pick a plan. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Monday the proposed Notice of ...