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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.

Congress Faces Pressure To Reverse Doctors’ Payment Cuts — Again

Congress is once again being urged to reverse a cut to physicians’ Medicare payments, prompting calls for a broader overhaul of how the program reimburses doctors. Why it matters: Congress is still stuck in an annual dance of being pressured to increase physician payments, even after Washington nearly a decade ago put an end to the despised “doc fix” that ...

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The High Cost Of Weight-Loss Drugs Is Threatening Coverage Altogether

With the price of GLP-1s reaching well over $1000 a month, local officials are warning that rising costs threaten to quickly drain government spending accounts.

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CVS To Close Some Pharmacies Within Target Stores

CVS Health (CVS.N), opens new tab said on Thursday it will close some pharmacies that operate inside Target (TGT.N), opens new tab stores during the first several months of the year. The closures will begin in February and be completed by the end of April, a company spokesperson said. Prescriptions will be transferred to a nearby CVS Pharmacy prior ...

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What Employees Want In Their Health Care Benefits (And Could Be A Deal Breaker)

In a competitive job market, access to a certain primary care doctor or mental health benefits may be the determining factor when it comes to someone accepting your job offer or choosing to work somewhere else.

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What Type of Worker Are You? Government Has New Test for Who Should Be on Payroll

New Biden administration rule could impose stricter test for Uber, Lyft and others to classify workers as contractors

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F.D.A. Issues First Approval for Mass Drug Imports to States From Canada

The agency authorized Florida to purchase medicines directly from wholesalers in Canada, where prices are far cheaper. Pharmaceutical companies oppose the plan.

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Amid Biden Admin’s Drug-Pricing Push, Big Pharma Kicks Off 2024 With Hundreds Of Price Hikes

While public and political scrutiny around drug pricing has reached a fever pitch in the wake of 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), that hasn’t stopped pharma majors from ringing in 2024 with their favorite New Year tradition: a hefty round of medication price hikes. Altogether, companies such as Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda are raising prices on more than ...

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Cigna Nears Deal to Offload Medicare Business

Cigna is in advanced talks to sell its Medicare business in an about-face for the health-insurance giant, which had been expanding its footprint in the fast-growing sector. Cigna, which has been running an auction for the business, known as Medicare Advantage, is now in exclusive talks to sell it to Health Care Service Corp. for ...

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Amazon Rolls Out Digital Health Benefits Program, Taps Omada Health As Launch Partner

Amazon plans to collaborate with digital health companies to connect customers with virtual care benefits for managing conditions like diabetes and hypertension. The online retail giant tapped virtual-first chronic care provider Omada Health as its first partner. Amazon’s new health conditions program, which officially launched on Monday, aims to help customers find and enroll in virtual care ...

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New Walgreens CEO Signals Pharmacy Giant Will Shift To New Drug Pricing Models

In his first earnings call since taking over as CEO of Walgreens, Tim Wentworth signaled the drugstore retail giant is exploring new pharmacy models as cost-plus drug pricing gains momentum. “We welcome and will work with payer and PBM partners on any model that recognizes and reimburses pharmacies for the unmatched value we provide patients, ...

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