Author: Scott Welch

In May, the California State Assembly overwhelmingly passed a bill set to have a major impact on how companies classify their workers in the state. Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) aims to codify the new standard expounded by Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles for determining whether workers regulated by the 17 Wage Orders in California are employees or independent contractors.

Joe Biden knocks both President Trump and some of his fellow Democratic White House hopefuls in a television ad that debuted Tuesday in Iowa in which the former vice president suggests they are all a threat to the Affordable Care Act.

An Oklahoma judge has ruled that drugmaker Johnson & Johnson helped ignite the state’s opioid crisis by deceptively marketing painkillers and must pay $572 million to the state.

Specialty drugs for treatments such as arthritis accounted for less than 1% of prescriptions for a major employer purchasing group but made up 40% of the group’s total drug spending last year, according to a new analysis.

The country's biggest health insurers raked in more than $11 billion in profit in the second quarter, particularly as recent mergers and newly-launched business lines began to bear fruit. The clearest example of this trend is CVS Health, which posted a Q2 profit loss in 2018 but saw profits return to the black and revenues increase significantly following its acquisition of Aetna.

A new poll found that 70% of people surveyed agree dental benefits should be included in Medicare, as some Medicare Advantage (MA) plans include it as an extra benefit.

In the heat of the most ferocious battle over drug prices in years, pharmaceutical companies are showering U.S. senators with campaign cash as sweeping legislation heads toward the floor.

California legislation to prevent surprise billing did not result in a reduction of in-network doctors, a new study from the top insurer group found. After California passed its surprise billing law in 2016—under which doctors are paid either the physician’s average contracted rate (ACR) or 125% of the Medicare reimbursement rate—officials at America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) found the number of in-network doctors increased by 16%.

In its effort to temper the sky-high prices Americans pay for many vital medications, the Trump administration last month unveiled a plan that would legalize the importation of selected prescription drugs from countries where they sell for far less. But the plan addresses imports only at the wholesale level; it is silent about the transactions by millions of Americans who already buy their medications outside the United States.

The head of the nation’s health insurance lobby on Wednesday said he does not see much difference between “Medicare for All,” which is being championed by progressive Democratic presidential candidates, and the public option pushed by former Vice President Joe Biden.