Author: Scott Welch
The annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health plans increased by 4% in 2021 to an average of $22,221 as the COVID-19 pandemic blunted massive premium hikes, a new survey finds. The Kaiser Family Foundation released its 2021 employer health benefits survey Wednesday, which explored the employer benefits and cost-sharing offered for plans. The survey also found more ...
The COVID-19 pandemic brought changes to many health insurance related items; one of the biggest changes was to federal COBRA administration. COBRA, which allows a person to continue group health coverage upon loss of eligibility for that coverage, normally requires a person to make COBRA elections and initial premium payments within short timeframes – 60 ...
Switching seniors to Medicare Advantage plans has cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars more than keeping them in original Medicare, a cost that has exploded since 2018 and is likely to rise even higher, new research has found. Richard Kronick, a former federal health policy researcher and a professor at the University of California-San ...
Nevada health officials said Wednesday they are encouraged by initial demand for COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 5-11 and local pediatricians are reporting strong interest. But some logistical issues and technical glitches in the state’s scheduling platform have slowed the rollout of the doses at county and community health clinics, they said. Experts also expressed ...
The U.S. Postal Service raised concerns on Wednesday that the Biden administration’s new rules requiring large employers to require vaccinations or weekly COVID-19 testing could result in “high levels of absenteeism” and affect deliveries. Last week, the Labor Department issued rules that require businesses with 100 or more employees to mandate weekly testing or vaccines by Jan. ...
National industry groups representing retail, truckers and independent businesses sued the Biden administration Wednesday over its vaccine and testing requirements for private companies, claiming they would cause “irreparable harm.” The National Retail Federation, the National Federation of Independent Business and the American Trucking Associations, told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in ...
Medicare enrollees who take expensive medicines could save thousands of dollars a year under the Democrats’ sweeping social agenda bill, but those dividends won’t come overnight. Instead, they’ll build gradually over the decade. Unveiled late last week, the bill’s Medicare prescription drug compromise barely survived a pharmaceutical industry lobbying blitz. Experts who’ve analyzed the complex ...
A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers.
Yoga studio owner David Gross felt relieved after Los Angeles passed a vaccine mandate that is among the strictest in the country, a measure taking effect Monday that requires proof of shots for everyone entering a wide variety of businesses from restaurants to shopping malls and theaters to nail and hair salons.
Democrats on Tuesday announced an agreement on drug pricing reform, coming out in favor of allowing Medicare Part D to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for the first time since its creation, a move the drug industry has fought for nearly two decades.