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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White House Budget Leans Into Drug Pricing, Obamacare Expansion

President Biden’s budget proposal focuses heavily on expanding access to health care and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. In an effort to extend the life of Medicare’s hospital trust fund, the budget proposal would increase the number of drugs that can be negotiated, and allow those negotiations to begin sooner. The plan builds off the Inflation ...

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Economists Warn Of Costs If Medicare Covers New Obesity Drugs

The cost of expanding U.S. Medicare prescription drug coverage to pay for expensive, new obesity medications could be catastrophic, health economists warned in a report published on Saturday. Big-selling diabetes drugs have been repurposed as obesity treatments after demonstrating weight loss of more than 20% in clinical trials. While they are far more effective than ...

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Telehealth Startup Cerebral Shared Millions Of Patients’ Data With Advertisers

Cerebral has revealed it shared the private health information, including mental health assessments, of more than 3.1 million patients in the United States with advertisers and social media giants like Facebook, Google and TikTok. The telehealth startup, which exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic after rolling lockdowns and a surge in online-only virtual health ...

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Medical Tourism To Mexico Is On The Rise, But It Can Come With Risks

One of the four Americans who were kidnapped in Mexico last week was traveling for medical tourism, a friend said. A growing number of US residents are traveling internationally to seek more affordable medical care, more timely care or access to certain treatments or procedures that are unapproved or unavailable in the United States. Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee, 33, ...

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Millennials Are Racking Up More Chronic Health Conditions Compared To Other Generations: Study

Millennials are seeking more professional help for health issues than ever, a new study revealed. Conducted by United Healthcare and Health Action Council, the study explored factors and claims data from policyholders ages 27 to 42 — a total of 126,000 individuals. It compared current data from April 2021 through March 2022 to historical data dating back ...

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Biden To Seek More Than $2.8B From Congress For Cancer Fight

President Joe Biden is asking Congress for more than $2.8 billion in the federal budget he’s sending to Capitol Hill on Thursday to help advance his cancer-fighting goals. More than half of the money, $1.7 billion, would go to the Department of Health and Human Services to support the Democratic president’s cancer initiatives across an array of ...

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Prostate Cancer Treatment Can Wait For Most Men, Study Finds

Researchers have found long-term evidence that actively monitoring localized prostate cancer is a safe alternative to immediate surgery or radiation. The results, released Saturday, are encouraging for men who want to avoid treatment-related sexual and incontinence problems, said Dr. Stacy Loeb, a prostate cancer specialist at NYU Langone Health who was not involved in the ...

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