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.
Advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted unanimously on Sep. 19 to recommend that people who want a COVID-19 vaccine must consult with a healthcare provider, a process called “shared clinical decision-making.” The advisory panel voted down an initial proposal to require a prescription for COVID vaccines. However, the meeting seemed ...
As the cost of health care in the United States rises to the highest point in more than two decades, companies are preparing for disruptive changes to their health care plans, according to a new survey by global advisory, broking, and solutions company WTW. WTW’s “2025 Best Practices in Healthcare Survey” finds that U.S. employers ...
Benefits executives at Gallagher expect the cost of stop-loss insurance to rise faster than the cost of fully insured group health coverage next year. William Ziebell, the chief executive officer of the insurance broker’s benefits and human resources consulting division, predicted Thursday that typical increases for stop-loss insurance will be somewhere in the mid-teens or higher. ...
The Northeast Valley Health Corp. in Los Angeles County could be a poster child for the benefits of sharing health data electronically. Through a data network connecting its records system with other providers, the health center receives not just X-ray and lab results but real-time alerts when hospitals on the network admit or discharge its ...
A major health insurance group reaffirmed that its member plans will uphold current vaccine coverage despite any changes that an influential advisory panel could make to federal recommendations. The pledge to continued vaccine coverage comes ahead of a scheduled meeting Thursday of a federal advisory committee with a slate of new members handpicked by Department of Health ...
Democrats are gearing up to reject a GOP stopgap funding bill and potentially spark a government shutdown. What happens then, no one seems to know. Two weeks ahead of the key deadline, party leaders are staking out a rhetorical hard line demanding that their Republican counterparts come to the negotiating table to discuss concessions on health care ...
Primary care has been shown to improve health outcomes and population health; reduce health disparities; and save money. Despite these benefits, however, accessing primary care has become more difficult. “In 2025, there were 7,901 primary care health professional shortage areas,” according to a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute. “A recent report found ...
Employers can expect to pay an average of $17,000 per employee for health care costs next year. Aon, a global professional services firm, projects a 9.5% increase in 2026, marking the third consecutive year with price hikes approaching double digits.
A deadline looming, Congress charged Monday toward a federal government shutdown as Republicans brush back Democratic demands to save health care funding from cutbacks, while Democrats are flexing a newfound willingness to play hardball, even if it means closing offices and services.
A group of GOP senators are working on legislation to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies with policy changes designed to win over conservatives, according to four people granted anonymity to disclose private discussions.