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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.

IRS Adjusts Health Flexible Spending Account and Other Benefit Limits for 2025

On October 22, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Revenue Procedure 2024-40, which increases the health flexible spending account (FSA) salary reduction contribution limit to $3,300 for plan years beginning in 2025, an increase of $100 from 2024. Thus, for health FSAs with a carryover feature, the maximum carryover amount is $660 (20% of the ...

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Survey: Employers Fear Rising Health Costs Could Force Trade-Offs With Wages, Salaries

About three-quarters (74%) of those surveyed said they feel healthcare costs drive trade-offs for wage or salary increases, with 38% saying they "strongly agree" that this is the case.

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Rising Premiums Challenge SMBs To Offer Health Insurance, Despite Benefits

A new report by Gusto suggests it's in the best interest of most small businesses to offer their employees' health insurance. The benefits of offering health insurance are profound, from lower turnover to higher productivity.

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Insured Americans Can’t Predict Drug Costs: Survey

More than half of insured Americans say they can’t predict how much their covered prescription drugs will cost, according to an annual survey by the pharmaceutical industry trade group PhRMA. Why it matters: The results, shared first with Axios, come as the drug industry is pressing for more transparency regulations on pharmacy benefit managers and insurers in the lame-duck ...

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Walmart Offers Same-Day Prescription Delivery With Plans To Reach 49 States

Walmart plans to expand its home delivery of pharmacy items and offer them alongside the other merchandise in its online store, spreading to virtually all U.S. states in the next few months, the retailer announced. The new policy applies to same-day delivery of prescription medications and has already been rolled out to six states: Arkansas, ...

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5 Emerging Technologies Impacting Health Insurance Agents and Brokers

Technology is constantly evolving, and one of the industries where it’s having the greatest impact is insurance. If you’re a health insurance agent or broker, you need to keep up on how tech can impact you, your clients, underwriting new business, transparency, health monitoring, and policy personalization. Below is a look at five of the ...

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Why Your Next Prescription Could Include An App

Federal regulators are confronting a new twist in drug development: manufacturers that include software with the medicine to prod patients to take pills as directed, manage side effects or track how well a treatment works. Why it matters: The apps could boost the drugs’ clinical value and provide a more personalized approach to managing chronic conditions ...

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Down To The Wire: 2024 Elections Impacting Health Care And Employee Benefits

The upcoming election results will have a significant impact on health care and employee benefit policies for at least the next four years.

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Cigna And Humana Re-Engage In Merger Talks

Cigna Group has reinitiated discussions with Humana regarding a potential merger, following the collapse of their discussions last year. According to a Bloomberg News report, which cited sources privy to the development, the talks are in the preliminary stages and no decisions have been made. In December last year, Cigna abandoned its plans to merge with Humana ...

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Blue Shield Of California, Salesforce Join Forces To Streamline Prior Authorization

Blue Shield of California and Salesforce are teaming up to simplify and streamline the prior authorization experience. The partners announced at HLTH on Monday that they would leverage Salesforce’s Health Cloud to make the process feel as simple as paying with a credit card. When a clinician needs to submit a prior auth request, the ...

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