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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.

Drug Ads Must Be More Upfront About Side Effects, FDA Says

The Food and Drug Administration has finalized a long-running effort to require prescription drug ads on TV and radio to clearly lay out potential side effects and when a person should avoid a medicine. Why it matters: While the number of drug ads has surged and they account for billions of dollars in direct-to-consumer marketing, experts say they primarily rely ...

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Biden Administration’s Limit on Drug Industry Middlemen Backfires, Pharmacists Say

The Biden administration’s first major step toward imposing limits on the pharmacy benefit managers who act as the drug industry’s price negotiators is backfiring, pharmacists say. Instead, it’s adding to the woes of the independent drugstores it was partly designed to help. The so-called PBMs have long clawed back a fee from pharmacies weeks or ...

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IN-DEPTH: 4 Key Health Trends Driving Employer Costs In 2024

Employers will be facing a changing landscape when it comes to health care in 2024, as they continue to see significant spending in the areas of mental health, prescription drugs and cancer treatment, says a new survey.

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Congress Passes Bipartisan Funding Stopgap That Punts DSH Cuts, Extends Other Healthcare Programs

The House of Representatives passed a “two-step” spending bill last week that, along with delaying a government shutdown, bumps back pay cuts for hospitals and extends community health center and training programs.

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Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Workers Ratify New Contract

Kaiser Permanente's healthcare workers voted to ratify a new contract with the hospital chain, the union said on Thursday, ending a months-long negotiation that resulted in the largest recorded strike in the U.S. medical sector.

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Small Biz CEOs Worried About Economic Prospects; Keeping A Close Eye On Health Care Benefits

A new report on how smaller employers have been dealing with rising health care costs revealed that more than 40% are considering switching insurers and more than 25% are looking at increasing deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for employees.

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Amazon Takes Another Shot At Health Care, This One A Virtual Care Service That Costs $9 Per Month

The e-commerce giant says its Prime customers can now get quick access to a health care provider through a program that costs $9 a month or $99 annually.

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Three Big Unknowns About Popular Weight-Loss Drugs

For the more than 100 million American adults with obesity, medications such as semaglutide (known by its brand names Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide, a version of which the Food and Drug Administration approved last week, could be transformative. These drugs are remarkably effective in reducing weight, managing diabetes and reducing cardiovascular complications. But there is still much we don’t ...

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Prior Authorizations Are Top Burden For Medical Groups: MGMA

Prior authorization is the most burdensome regulatory issue facing medical groups, with 89% saying it is very or extremely burdensome, according to a Nov. 13 report from the Medical Group Management Association. The MGMA’s annual regulatory report surveyed executives from more than 350 group practices, according to the report. Sixty percent of respondents are in practices with ...

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Why It’s So Tough to Reduce Unnecessary Medical Care

The U.S. spends huge amounts of money on health care that does little or nothing to help patients, and may even harm them. In Colorado, a new analysis shows that the number of tests and treatments conducted for which the risks and costs exceed the benefits has barely budged despite a decade-long attempt to tamp ...

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