Author: Scott Welch
Nearly two years after a surprise medical bill ban took effect, the process for settling billing disputes between insurers and providers is still mired in litigation and many cases remain unresolved.
If trends hold, more people will choose a Medicare Advantage plan over traditional Medicare during the open enrollment season that began Sunday. That’s amping up concern about the way plans are marketed, how the government pays insurers who administer benefits and the way they’ve turned down millions of requests for coverage of services and drugs. The big ...
While federal and state laws have long prohibited providers of financial services from engaging in unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts and practices (“UDAAP”), such prohibitions typically apply only to consumer-purpose transactions rather than business-purpose transactions. However, as of October 1, 2023, a new California law extends the UDAAP prohibitions already in place under the California Consumer Financial ...
Grocery delivery company Instacart is expanding its number of partnerships with hospitals and health systems to incorporate medical expertise and benefits into their services, aiming to enhance patient access to nutritious food and promote a healthy lifestyle. Instacart launched its Instacart Health initiative in September 2022 and has since partnered with Boston Children’s Hospital; Orange, Calif.-based Alignment ...
California will expand its standards for involuntary medical treatment to include people whose mental illness or drug addiction inhibits their ability to keep themselves safe, under a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. SB43 by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, was sponsored by psychiatric organizations and other health care professionals who said it would ...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the monthly Medicare Part A and B premiums for 2024 on Thursday, with the costs set to go up by 6 percent next year. The premiums would increase by $9.80 from $164.90 to $174.70 in 2024 and the annual deductible for Medicare Part B beneficiaries will ...
Using Blue Shield of California as a precedent, more health entities may scale back their reliance on their PBMs in favor of centers of excellence that provide specific services. But this new approach to pharmacy benefits needs an organized and connected way for information to be shared.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Saturday that sets the stage for California to work toward universal healthcare, such as a single-payer system that progressive activists have sought for years.
A historic three-day strike at Kaiser Permanente ended on Saturday, but the parties have not yet agreed to a new contract for over 75,000 workers. The unions say another strike may be coming.
Health coverage of working-age adults increased significantly in the Northeast, South and West, although increases varied by age and employment status, according to the latest Census Bureau report.