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.
The Federal Trade Commission today set off a new round of debate about the role of big pharmacy benefit managers in shaping U.S. prescription drug prices by posting a second interim staff report. This time, the FTC focused on charges for high-cost specialty drugs at the pharmacies of the three biggest PBMS — Cigna’s Express Scripts ...
The hospital lobby is petitioning President Donald Trump to grant carve-outs for medical devices and pharmaceutical products to the tariffs his administration has enacted, or may soon enact, on Mexico, Canada and China. In a letter sent Tuesday, the American Hospital Association (AHA) told the president that the country’s hospitals “stand with you” on the ...
Moody’s Ratings is downgrading the insurance industry’s credit outlook to negative as elevated medical costs continue to batter payers. Moody’s analysts noted in a report that spending in the commercial market alone is set to increase by 8% this year, the fastest rate recorded in 13 years. Spending in the individual market, meanwhile, is set ...
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he secured significant concessions from the Trump administration on vaccine safety that led to his vote Tuesday morning to advance the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Cassidy voted with all other Finance Committee Republicans on Tuesday to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the floor. ...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, moved closer to securing the job on Tuesday, winning approval from a key Republican senator and a recommendation from the Finance Committee to advance him to a full Senate vote as soon as this week. The Republican-led committee voted 14-13 along party lines with ...
Stop-loss insurance costs spiked at Cigna in the fourth quarter, and that will lead to price increases for employers renewing their coverage. Company executives talked about the coming wave of stop-loss increases Thursday, during a conference call with securities analysts. Brian Evanko, the company’s chief financial officer, said the main drivers of the spike were ...
Double-digit tariffs, if they take effect as proposed, threaten to escalate healthcare costs, disrupt supply chains and create affordability challenges for patients, healthcare executives say. President Donald Trump on Saturday signed executive orders intending to impose sweeping tariffs on the country’s three largest trading partners. The Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico ...
Steadily rising costs and increased demand for personalization mean employers must keep a closer eye on the return on their benefits investments in the coming year. “As companies and HR teams navigate another year of workforce challenges, one truth remains: benefits can make or break your talent strategy,” according to the 2025 Annual Lifestyle Benefits ...
Members of the health benefits policy-shaping committees in Congress are talking about encouraging bipartisanship.
Shannon Sharpe was having one of those 15-minutes-of-internet-infamy moments. Social media blew up in September after the retired Denver Broncos tight end — accidentally, he later said — broadcast some of his intimate activities online. One of his sponsors took advantage of the moment: the telehealth company Ro, which sells a variety of prescription medicines ...