Author: Scott Welch
Premiums for health insurance for individuals and small group markets are not expected to see large adjustments from carriers in 2022, a new report has found. Regional differences in health care delivery might result in some variation of premiums, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, the report said. The new report, released by the ...
Blue Shield of California and Walgreens today announced a new collaboration to expand access to health care, lower costs, and bring innovative services to enhance the consumer experience for individuals, families, and communities throughout California. The initial phase of the collaboration will center on Walgreens Health Corner™ services – a personalized experience for Blue Shield commercial ...
Providers and insurers want the federal government to take it easy on them as they try to put the surprise billing ban into practice, according to comments on the first regulation stemming from the No Surprises Act. Both industries say they want to protect consumers against balance billing but remain worried they don’t have essential ...
Dive Brief: * The delta variant’s impact on hospitals that began to emerge mid-July is expected to peak late in the third quarter or early in the fourth, according to a new survey of 40 hospital CEOs and CFOs conducted by Jefferies. * Elective and non-emergent volumes were tracking down by about 30% in early September, leading ...
Living unmedicated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Eugenia Hunter has a hard time recalling how long she’s been staying in the tent she calls home at the bustling intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland’s hip Uptown neighborhood. Craft coffee shops and weed dispensaries are plentiful here and one-bedroom ...
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Thursday unveiled the Biden administration’s road map to lowering the cost of prescription drugs. The plan, summarized in a 29-page document, supports legislation that allows the federal government to negotiate lower prices on the costliest drugs each year and pass those savings on to private insurers. Current ...
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires group health plans to spend a minimum percentage of premium dollars on members’ health care expenses and services. Likewise, it sets a threshold on the maximum amount of premium dollars that can be spent on other administrative costs, such as marketing, profits, salaries, agent commissions, etc. These requirements, known ...
It’s a situation that appears incongruous: Congressional Democrats want to expand Medicare’s benefits while a trust fund that supports the program is facing insolvency. Indeed, some Republican lawmakers have seized on that looming problem as a reason to oppose a proposal to add dental, vision and hearing coverage to Medicare. The provision is included in ...
Payers and hospitals say with the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing and key elements still unreleased, it will be difficult to comply by Jan. 1.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has advised that the Biden administration will “monitor” to ensure no one abuses COVID-19 vaccine exemptions. President Biden last week announced a mandate that required any company with at least 100 employees to mandate its workforce. The only way to avoid the mandate is to claim an exemption on either religious or medical grounds. Some critics ...