Prior Authorizations Are Top Burden For Medical Groups: MGMA

Prior authorization is the most burdensome regulatory issue facing medical groups, with 89% saying it is very or extremely burdensome, according to a Nov. 13 report from the Medical Group Management Association. The MGMA’s annual regulatory report surveyed executives from more than 350 group practices, according to the report. Sixty percent of respondents are in practices with ...

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Why It’s So Tough to Reduce Unnecessary Medical Care

The U.S. spends huge amounts of money on health care that does little or nothing to help patients, and may even harm them. In Colorado, a new analysis shows that the number of tests and treatments conducted for which the risks and costs exceed the benefits has barely budged despite a decade-long attempt to tamp ...

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An ‘Unsettling’ Drop in Life Expectancy for Men

The gap in life expectancy between men and women in the United States grew to its widest in nearly 30 years, driven mainly by more men dying of Covid and drug overdoses, according to a new study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. In 2021, women had a life expectancy of 79.3 years, compared with 73.5 years ...

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Optum Rx Moves 8 Insulins To Its Preferred Formulary Tier

Optum Rx is shifting eight different insulin products to its preferred formulary in a bid to address affordability, the company said Thursday. The product selection includes all rapid-acting and short-acting insulin products as well as some long-acting insulins, according to the announcement. It includes insulins manufactured by Sanofi, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. Optum’s Tier ...

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Instacart, DoorDash Now Allowing Users To Buy Health Items Using HSAs, FSAs

As cold and flu season truly sets in, major home delivery platforms are now allowing customers to purchase products using their health benefits. Both DoorDash and Instacart announced this week that they would accept payments from health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts to cover the cost of health and wellness items. In particular, according ...

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Standing And Even Sleeping Are Better For Your Heart Than Sitting, New Study Suggests

Adults are sedentary for an average of 9½ hours each day, studies have shown — and all that sitting could be putting people’s heart health at risk. Researchers from the University of College London (UCL) and the University of Sydney found that replacing just a few moments of sitting with any other type of activity — even ...

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California Single Payer Next Step

California governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 770, a bill related to Single Payer health care in California in October 2023. The bill does not create a Single Payer health system in California, and it does not detail any components of what the system would entail. Instead, it focuses entirely on obtaining federal funding for a state-run single-payer health care system in California.

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Healthcare Minimum Wage Expected To Cost $4 Billion In First Year As California Budget Deficit Looms

When Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that set a first-in-the-nation minimum wage for healthcare workers, three words in a bill analysis foretold potential concerns about its cost: “Fiscal impact unknown.”

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Employers Seek To Balance Employee Needs, Health Care Costs As They Look To Future

Containing rising health care costs while recruiting and retaining a talented workforce is a challenge for employers. However, 6 in 10 are implementing initiatives to address both.

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Small Group Annual Special Open Enrollment Window: Nov. 15 – Dec. 15

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires medical health insurers to offer an annual one-month Special Open Enrollment Window (SOEW), when eligible Small Group employers can purchase medical coverage without having to meet standard employer-contribution and/or employee-participation ratios.

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