Will Gavin Newsom’s Plan Lower Prescription Drug Costs in California?

Eight months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom released a plan to lower the state’s prescription drug costs. The central idea: By consolidating the market power of state agencies into one statewide pool, California could gain greater leverage to negotiate with drugmakers.

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ACA Coverage Not Yet Spurring Earlier Retirements By Older Workers

If older workers have access to health care outside the workplace, do they choose to retire rather than keep working? Employers struggling to fill vacancies in a tight labor market might be wondering, concerned that the pool of older workers they have to draw on is shrinking. However, such does not appear to be the case.

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Industry Voices – What to Expect On Pending Healthcare Legislation When Congress Returns From Recess

When the House and Senate return from summer recess, surprise billing, drug pricing, and the so-called Cadillac tax are among the key healthcare issues that Congress wants to address.

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HealthEquity Completes Acquisition of WageWorks

HealthEquity, Inc. (HQY) ("HealthEquity" or the “Company”) today completed its acquisition of WageWorks, Inc., (WAGE) (“WageWorks”), to become a leading administrator of health savings accounts (“HSAs”) and complementary consumer-directed benefits (“CDBs”), including flexible spending and health reimbursement arrangements (“FSAs” and “HRAs”), COBRA and commuter benefits.

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Risk-Adjustment Proposal Could Hurt Medicare Advantage

America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) is blasting efforts by the Trump administration to recoup what Medicare managers see as excess risk-adjustment payments to Medicare Advantage plan providers.

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Harris Unveils Disability Plan Focusing On Education and Employment Opportunities

Presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris unveiled her plan for Americans with disabilities on Thursday, with a focus on employment through access to education and social programs.

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AB290 is Needed to Protect Patients from Unscrupulous Treatment Providers

Looking back on my own fight with addiction, I now know that what I needed was long-term, qualified and safe care. A professional setting to be housed, receive medical care, and access peer support. However, too many patients fall prey to treatment facilities that are more interested in bilking insurance companies than in providing the support they need to enter and sustain long-term recovery.

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Governor’s ‘Mental Health Czar’ Seeks New Blueprint For Care In California

In a career full of twists, turns and high-powered assignments, Thomas Insel may now be embarking on one of his most daunting tasks yet — helping California find its way out of a worrisome mental health care crisis.

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Another Nail in the Wellness ROI Coffin?

A recent study in JAMA showed that a large workplace wellness at BJ’s Wholesale Club failed to improve employee health and deliver ROI. The study looked at the 32,000-plus employees of BJ’s Wholesale Club and concluded that while the company’s worksite wellness program did lead to higher rates of exercise and weight management, it did not have an impact on health behaviors, clinical markers of health, health spending or absenteeism.

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They Got Estimates Before Surgery — And A Bill After That Was 50% More

From a planning perspective, Wolfgang Balzer is the perfect health care consumer. Balzer, an engineer, knew for several years he had a hernia that would need to be repaired, but it wasn’t an emergency, so he waited until the time was right.

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