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 came together Saturday to secure a last-minute deal to continue government funding for 45 days and avoid a government shutdown, bucking the overwhelming consensus that a shutdown was inevitable.
Recent reports suggest that health insurance costs are climbing at rates not seen in years. Consulting firm Mercer found in its 2023 national survey of employer-sponsored health plans that employers expect health benefit costs will rise 5.4% on average in 2024. Factors contributing to the higher costs are higher inflation and labor shortages. According to ...
While digital health still holds plenty of promise in healthcare, the lack of cohesion between Medicare, Medicaid and commercial health plans about just what digital services should be covered is a major hindrance to its expansion, according to an issue brief (PDF) by the American Medical Association (AMA). Medicare follows coverage guidelines laid out by the Centers ...
In a major victory for patients who depend on prescription drugs, Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia struck down a Trump administration federal rule that allowed health insurers to not count drug manufacturer copay assistance towards a beneficiary’s out-of-pocket costs. The case was brought against the U.S. Department of Health and ...
Seven percent. That’s the increase in medical costs for health plans that global consulting firm PwC estimates for 2024. But where did the number come from? Should health plan managers, and plan sponsors, be factoring it in with confidence? Based on PwC’s latest in-depth survey of health plan actuaries that represent 100 million covered lives, the answer is “yes.”
Without federal intervention, states that have seen megamergers, such as Michigan and California, are often left to wrestle with the complex question of how to respond, given the likelihood of higher prices for their residents.
Consumers who’ve ordered free home coronavirus tests through a federal website could be in for a surprise: they might get kits with expiration dates that passed months ago. But experts say you shouldn’t immediately discard those tests. Even though you might not see it on the packaging, the federal government has extended expiration dates on many of ...
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.
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.
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.