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.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) blasted an executive order President Trump signed Monday that splits the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot across three separate visits. “I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism,” Cassidy wrote on social platform X shortly ...
On July 16, CMS published a significant Request for Information (RFI) to assess potential reforms to overhaul the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Current Procedural Terminology® (CPT®) coding system. The RFI was included in the Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (CMS-1848-P). Concerns about Conflicts, Patient Care, and Innovation The RFI cites “longstanding concerns” ...
A tiny federal agency tasked with protecting the public from injuries caused by lawn mowers and coffeemakers is demanding that some of the nation’s biggest health systems turn over detailed, personally identifiable medical records of all patients who seek help at their emergency rooms. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, responsible for tracking and issuing recalls ...
A coalition of attorneys general from 21 states, along with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, have filed a lawsuit challenging a federal rule that they allege undermines the Affordable Care Act and makes health insurance more expensive and harder to obtain for millions of Americans. The lawsuit seeks to block provisions of the Trump administration’s ACA ...
The Senate voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee, Erica Schwartz, to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, ending a nearly yearlong period without a Senate-confirmed director leading the agency. Schwartz was confirmed in a 51-44 vote, with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) joining Republicans in support. All other Democrats opposed the nomination. Despite a ...
Specialty drug trend remains high, although it decreased from 11.2% to 10.8% on a gross cost basis in Pharmacy Strategies Group’s 2026 State of Specialty Spend and Trend Report. Claim utilization is now the dominant driver of specialty drug trend as the percentage of members using specialty drugs rose to 5.5%. “For a decade, this report ...
The Trump administration credits its fraud control efforts for the disappearance of millions of people from Obamacare rolls rather than a sharp rise in premiums — a claim disputed by policy experts that glosses over the reality that many more Americans now find themselves without health insurance. Enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans fell by ...
California voters will choose between two Democrats for insurance commissioner in November as the state faces growing wildfire risk, skyrocketing insurance prices and some insurers leaving the state. State Sen. Ben Allen and former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim are competing for the office. Allen, who was interviewed in fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades, an area he ...
The Trump administration is now scrutinizing the American Medical Association over the “influence” its medical billing codes have on healthcare nationwide. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are meant to “provide a uniform nomenclature for coding medical procedures and services,” according to the AMA. However, some Republicans have raised concerns about whether the AMA currently holds too much sway over the medical care ...
Familiar hospitals dominated the latest “Best Hospitals” rankings from U.S. News & World Report, which also rolled out several changes this year. There were a couple of newcomers to the 2026-2027 Honor Roll, which for 4 years now, has been ranked alphabetically instead of ordinally. Mayo Clinic–Florida in Jacksonville joined its counterparts in Minnesota and Arizona on the list, and UC ...