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 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rolled out guidance Oct. 2 as stakeholders prep for the second round of the drug price negotiation program. Made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act, the federal government has praised the program, saying it drastically lowers the cost of lifesaving drugs. The negotiation period for the first ...
The healthcare industry is making the push toward greater adoption of value-based care, yet it’s not a secret that progress has been slow-moving. With that backdrop, UnitedHealth Group has released its latest “A Path Forward” report, which is a biennial look at progress in the shift to value. The paper includes dozens of policy recommendations ...
Proposed guidelines for operating Obamacare insurance exchanges in 2026 call for tightening protections against unauthorized actions by agents and brokers who help consumers enroll in coverage. The proposal, released Friday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, sets standards for health insurers and ACA marketplaces, as well as requirements for agents, brokers, and others ...
As employers face rising costs, many are looking to rethink plan designs rather than emphasize shifting expenses to workers, according to a new WTW report.
The layoffs will be focused on corporate jobs, not frontline pharmacy, retail, or distribution workers, but more dramatic changes could be coming soon
The already fragile medical supply chain is facing more stress this week, after Hurricane Helene ravaged a huge Baxter International plant in North Carolina that makes IV fluids for many U.S. hospitals. Why it matters: While the damage hasn’t been totaled up, and the company says it’s lining up backup plants and making other contingencies, the closure of ...
The Biden administration is once again trumpeting the Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program to prove to voters it is lowering drug prices. Through the program, 54 drugs will be less expensive for Medicare enrollees because of a lower Part B coinsurance rate from Oct. 1 through the end of the year. This is because ...
Most Americans don’t plan to get vaccinated against the flu or COVID-19 this season, a new survey has found. Fewer than two in five U.S. adults (38%) say they will definitely get a flu jab, and only one in four (26%) say they’ll get the updated COVID vaccine, according to a survey released Wednesday by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. ...
On September 27, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two bills that will impact health care service plans and insurers in the state. AB 3275 – Health Care Coverage: Claim Reimbursement AB 3275 amends, repeals, and adds California Health and Safety Code §§ 1371, 1371.34, 1371.35, Insurance Code §§ 10123.13, 10123.147, and Welfare and ...
Four California governor hopefuls made big promises on single-payer health care but skimped on details Sunday during a candidate forum at a health workers’ union conference in San Francisco.