Author: Scott Welch
Every fall, employers that offer prescription drug coverage have an important Medicare Part D responsibility. They must tell Medicare-eligible employees and dependents whether their current employer-sponsored drug coverage is “creditable” or “non-creditable.” The annual notice must be provided before October 15, when Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period begins. For 2026, that means employers should distribute their ...
Gov. Gavin Newsom this week claimed a major victory for CARE Court, his program to provide mental health treatment to Californians with serious conditions. Did it really help 10,000 people?”
Herman spoke with more than 20 health policy experts, industry executives, and benefits professionals, analyzed federal and industry data, and read more than a dozen research articles for this story, part of STAT’s Out of Pocket, Out of Reach series. Workers and employers are drowning in their health insurance premiums. The reason for that deluge: ...
The Federal Trade Commission has sent warning letters to 24 “of the nation’s largest healthcare services” regarding their compliance with hospital price transparency requirements, the regulator announced Monday during a press event highlighting new regulations finalized by the Trump administration. The letters, templates for which were made public (PDF), told hospitals they may be running ...
The Trump administration on Monday finalized a rule that aims to make the data files mandated under price transparency regulations more usable. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said that the final rule will improve the data files made available by payers and providers by reducing duplicative information, adding further context about in-network pricing ...
Adults over 40 may not need to spend hours in the gym to maintain muscle, preserve mobility and stay strong. According to Los Angeles fitness entrepreneur Carl Daikeler, just 10 minutes of targeted resistance exercise each day can help preserve muscle, mobility and long-term function. Daikeler, 63, who has spent 28 years leading BODi, the ...
Americans who fill prescriptions through Canadian and other international mail-order pharmacies have about three weeks before a federal customs rule reaches its compliance deadline on October 22, and a growing number of members of Congress are urging the Trump administration to reconsider it. The rule, issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), does not ...
The Trump administration has finalized a new model that aims to bring its most-favored nation pricing approach to Medicare Part B. Called the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing, or GLOBE, Model, the program will begin on Jan. 1 and run through March 31, 2032. The model deploys an alternative approach to calculating drug inflation ...
The Medicare Advantage company exits are piling up. At least 11 health insurance companies that sold individual Medicare Advantage plans this year are abandoning the program for 2027 amid cost and regulatory challenges, company and federal data reveal. That compares to seven carriers that quit Medicare Advantage in 2026. Almost all of the insurers that ...
New research from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) finds that substantial differences in reimbursement for the same physician-administered medications based on where treatment is provided could add billions of dollars annually to the cost of employment-based health coverage. The research, titled “Location, Location, Location: Spending Differences for Physician-Administered Outpatient Medications by Site-of-Treatment,” found that hospital ...