Industry Updates Category Banner

Industry Updates

This broad category includes articles concerning health insurance costs, carrier and health plan news, changing benefits technology, and surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation and others on employee benefits.

How A Looming Government Shutdown Could Affect Healthcare

New NIH clinical trials, community health centers, pandemic preparedness and PEPFAR are among the health items that may be affected by the specter of a government shutdown.

Read More

Mark Cuban, Universities Use ‘Secret Shoppers’ To Gauge Hospital Prices

Sixty U.S. hospitals were evaluated in the study: 20 top-ranked, 20 safety-net and 20 others. The researchers sent “secret shoppers” to call each hospital and request the lowest cash price for different services. They compared the prices given over the telephone to the prices reported on the hospitals’ websites.

Read More

Costco Partners With Sesame To Offer Members $29 Virtual Health Visits

Costco members will be able to access health services for outpatient care like doctor's visits, labs, and mental health therapy at a "special discount," through a partnership with Sesame, a healthcare marketplace.

Read More

Employers Are Getting More Creative On Benefits

Employers bracing for a major hike in health care costs are retooling their benefits, aiming to provide perks better targeted to workers’ needs as they closely mind the bottom line. Why it matters: Employer health costs are expected to see their largest jump in a decade, but many companies facing an ongoing workforce crunch are hesitant to pass ...

Read More

Biden Administration to Ban Medical Debt From Americans’ Credit Scores

The Biden administration announced a major initiative to protect Americans from medical debt on Thursday, outlining plans to develop federal rules barring unpaid medical bills from affecting patients’ credit scores. The regulations, if enacted, would potentially help tens of millions of people who have medical debt on their credit reports, eliminating information that can depress consumers’ scores ...

Read More

COVID Vaccine Rollout Snarled By Insurance Denials, Canceled Appointments

Some consumers trying to get updated versions of the COVID-19 vaccine this week have encountered red tape, canceled appointments and delays getting private insurance to cover the shots. The major snarl comes amid a systemic shift, as the federal government no longer pays for or distributes all COVID-19 vaccinations. Public and private-sector health insurance providers must ...

Read More

Select Health, Mark Cuban Team To Lower Prescription Drug Costs

The partnership grew out of a philosophical alignment between the companies, with each citing the desire to simplify access and pricing.

Read More

US Employers To See Biggest Healthcare Cost Jump In A Decade In 2024

U.S. employers are bracing for the largest increase in health insurance costs in a decade next year, according forecasts from healthcare consultants, but workers may be somewhat spared this time around in a tight labor market.

Read More

Biden Administration Announces $600M To Produce COVID Tests And Will Reopen Website To Order Them

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household — aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in coronavirus cases that has typically come during colder months. The Department of Health and Human ...

Read More

IRS’ 2024 ‘Affordable’ Health Plan Threshold: Employers May Need To Lower Premiums

For employers that set their employee premium costs last year right at the ACA affordability threshold, their plans will no longer be affordable if they charge employees the same amount in 2024 as they did in 2023.

Read More
arrowcaret-downclosefacebook-squarehamburgerinstagram-squarelinkedin-squarepauseplaytwitter-squareyoutube-square