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.

Lack of Competition Leads to Higher ACA Plan Premiums in Rural Areas

The lower premiums in urban areas were partially connected to more competition among plans and providers. Having more plans also means they can spread the financial risk rather than having one or two payers shoulder all of it, leading to lower premiums.

Read More

Playing On Fear And Fun, Hospitals Follow Pharma In Direct-To-Consumer Advertising

The scene is shadowy, and the background music foreboding. On the TV screen, a stream of beleaguered humans stand in an unending line.

Read More

Primary Care Physician Visits Drop Among Patients with Employer Plans

NPs and PAs have recently taken on a larger role in primary care. Health experts say those roles will help fill primary care gaps in the coming years with physician shortages expected.

Read More

Waiting on 2 States, CVS Delays Aetna Deal Closing Until After Thanksgiving

CVS expects to close its $69 billion acquisition of Aetna after the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Read More

Gov.Elect Gavin Newsom Names Former Clinton Advisor His Chief of Staff

Moving swiftly to fill the highest-ranking member of his nascent administration, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom tapped Ann O’Leary, a longtime policy advisor to Hillary Clinton, to serve as his chief of staff and a leader of the transition team this fall.

Read More

Dems Get Full Supermajority

Melissa Hurtado was confident she could unseat State Sen. Andy Vidak, R-Hanford.

Read More

Covered California Pops And Locks Into Individual Coverage Enrollment Season

What do hip-hop dancing and health insurance have in common?

Read More

Express Scripts Ramps Up List-Price Pressure With Newfangled ‘Flex’ Formulary

During a yearslong examination of drug prices, there’s been no shortage of criticism for growing list prices, and in recent months, some companies have heard the talk and lowered their prices. Now, top PBM Express Scripts is rolling out a new formulary to help support the moves—and the plan could heap more pressure on players in competitive drug classes.

Read More

Breach of Obamacare Site Spilled Sensitive Data

More than two weeks after announcing that the Obamacare website, HealthCare.gov, had been hacked, the Department of Health and Human Services has revealed that the breach exposed a wealth of information, including partial Social Security numbers and immigration status.

Read More

Congressional Report Says Insulin Market Benefits Drugmakers and Insurers, Not Patients

“Perverse” incentives in the insulin supply chain lead to artificially high prices, as well as limited competition in the markets, according to a bipartisan report released Thursday by two lawmakers.

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