Author: Scott Welch
Healthcare cost increases have rapidly outpaced employee wages in recent years, and US employers are bracing for an even bigger price shock in 2027. According to a new survey from WTW, a benefits consulting firm, 471 US large employers are projecting healthcare costs will increase 9.7% in 2027. “We haven’t had such high increases in two ...
SCAN Group and retailer Costco are expanding their partnership by launching new co-branded Medicare products. The initial plans include a Medicare Advantage plan available in two states and Medicare supplement coverage in a third. The companies said the launch makes for Costco’s “first comprehensive partnership” with an MA plan. The partners plan to continue building ...
Each year brand drugmakers make tens of millions of dollars in payments to doctors – consulting fees, speaking honoraria, meals travel and more. How and why does this happen? A new analysis of disclosures from 10 of the largest brand drugmakers, contained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments data, shows ...
By the time Democrat Xavier Becerra left Washington, D.C., more Americans than ever had health insurance, owing partly to his work over the years to pass, defend, and expand the Affordable Care Act. It’s an achievement the former congressman and U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services often touts as he campaigns for California governor against Republican Steve Hilton, a former ...
The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Erica Schwartz, said Wednesday the agency is prepared to handle a variety of disease outbreaks, despite internal concerns about drastic cuts to CDC staffing and programs. Schwartz made the remarks in an internal meeting with CDC staff members. NBC News reviewed a transcript of the ...
Three employer groups are asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to let the insurers and employers involved in No Surprises Act claim disputes sue over what they believe to be outrageous awards. The groups — the American Benefits Council, the ERISA Industry Committee and the Business Group on Health — are urging the appeals ...
As California experiences longer, more intense heat waves and could be on track for its hottest year on record, health experts are urging people to take simple steps to prevent heat-related illnesses. In the United States, heat is a leading cause of weather-related deaths, more than hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. Earlier this month, Governor Gavin Newsom announced an Extreme Heat Action ...
At the beginning of this year, Las Vegas insurance broker Harry Mex’s cellphone started ringing more than usual. Clients were calling Mex after learning what they would have to pay for health insurance in 2026. Some said their monthly premiums had doubled or tripled even though their incomes had not changed. Others were facing higher ...
Nevada’s school immunization requirements remain in effect despite recent changes to the federal childhood vaccine schedule, the Southern Nevada Health District said. “At this time, we understand that the changes to the federal recommendations do not change Nevada’s existing school immunization requirements,” the health district said in a statement. “Vaccines continue to be available, and ...
Efforts to rein in the high cost of health care in recent years often have targeted the use of prior authorization by insurers. Patients and providers argue that it can result in delays or denials in receiving needed care, while insurers counter that it helps reduce costs by limiting the use of low-value or unnecessary ...