Author: Scott Welch
Quest Diagnostics (DGX.N) on Monday launched the first direct-to-consumer blood test to detect abnormal levels of beta amyloid, a key Alzheimer’s disease protein that can appear years before dementia symptoms arise. The $399 test, called AD-Detect, uses the same technology as a blood test the company began selling for use by doctors in early 2022. “One of ...
A key Senate committee on Wednesday advanced bipartisan legislation aimed at regulating pharmacy benefit managers, the intermediaries in the prescription drug supply chain who negotiate discounts with drug companies on behalf of insurance plans. The Senate Finance Committee approved the measure by a vote of 25-1, showing the broad bipartisan interest in PBM reform. Only ...
California’s highest court has revived a high-profile lawsuit that could have a major impact on whether insurers can punish physicians who refer patients to out-of-network providers. The case, which has bounced around courts in the Golden State since 2012, pits the nearly 50,000-member California Medical Association (CMA) against Aetna, one of the nation’s largest health ...
In what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today described as a “parity adjustment recalibration,” the agency said it will increase payments to skilled nursing facilities by 4%, or $1.4 billion, starting in fiscal year 2024. The payment bump will, in part, make up for a $2.2 billion underpayment to the facilities as a result of the ...
Friday Health Plans of Nevada’s assets will be sold on Sept. 1 and those still insured by the company will need to find a new health insurer on or before Aug. 31 to avoid a gap in coverage, according to a news release from the state Division of Insurance.
The Nevada legislature recently passed Senate Bill 370 (“Nevada’s Consumer Health Data Privacy Law”) aiming to impose broad requirements on collecting, using, and selling consumer health information. Nevada joins Washington and Connecticut with its own consumer health data privacy law.
HCA Healthcare Inc. says it recently discovered that information on as many as 11 million patients “was made available by an unknown and unauthorized party on an online forum.”
More than one third of Americans living in rural areas skipped medical care they needed due to the costs, according to a new study. The Commonwealth Fund’s 2020 International Health Policy Survey found that 36 percent of rural Americans did not get the care they needed due to costs, which is more than double the rate for ...
As hospitals acquire ambulatory care centers, consumers are more likely to be forced to pay outpatient facility fees for routine care traditionally covered by physician offices at lower costs. These new costs, appearing seemingly out of nowhere to the average consumer through out-of-pocket spending and premium increases, can add up to hundreds or thousands of ...
If you’re trying to beat the heat this summer, you might want to reconsider what you’re eating and drinking. A punishing summer heat wave is baking large swaths of the country, exposing millions of Americans to triple-digit temperatures. Experts say making sure that you’re properly hydrated and your body has enough energy is essential to helping you ...