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.
Many workers are financially vulnerable to unexpected medical expenses despite having access to at least some employer-sponsored benefits, according to new research from the Employee Benefit Research Institute in collaboration with Lincoln Financial. “Our findings suggest that many workers simply do not have the financial cushion to absorb today’s health care costs,” said Bridget Bearden, director ...
Carlos A. grew up in a family on Medicaid, which made healthcare an afterthought since the public insurance is free for low-income enrollees. But when he received a raise two years ago, he found himself earning too much to qualify for the safety net program. And when he browsed Covered California plans, he found that ...
Some four months after the White House inked the last of its expected drug pricing deals with 17 of the industry’s top players, the U.S. government is back for round 2, this time lining up agreements with a host of medium-sized biopharmas under President Trump’s ‘most favored nation’ agenda. Up at the dealmaking table for ...
Average health savings account balances reached a record high of $5,532 in 2024, a new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found. More than half of account holders took distributions, and nearly 20% invested HSA funds in non-cash assets. As employees gain experience with their HSA accounts, they are more likely to both contribute ...
California is weighing stiff penalties for hospitals and other healthcare entities that don’t stay under state spending limits, potentially levying hundreds of millions of dollars in fines if these providers don’t take steps to rein in rising healthcare costs. If the state Office of Health Care Affordability adopts the fines next week, hospitals, medical groups, ...
The ongoing debate over the U.S. health system shouldn’t be based on whether the government or the private sector is the dominant player, billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban said this week. The bigger issue, he said, is whether the system’s participants are transparent about what they charge and what they pay. “I’m not opposed to single-payer ...
Employer health care costs in the United States are projected to rise 9.5% in 2027, according to professional services firm Aon plc — pushing average costs above $19,000 per employee.
Healthcare cost increases have rapidly outpaced employee wages in recent years, and US employers are bracing for an even bigger price shock in 2027. According to a new survey from WTW, a benefits consulting firm, 471 US large employers are projecting healthcare costs will increase 9.7% in 2027. “We haven’t had such high increases in two ...
SCAN Group and retailer Costco are expanding their partnership by launching new co-branded Medicare products. The initial plans include a Medicare Advantage plan available in two states and Medicare supplement coverage in a third. The companies said the launch makes for Costco’s “first comprehensive partnership” with an MA plan. The partners plan to continue building ...
Each year brand drugmakers make tens of millions of dollars in payments to doctors – consulting fees, speaking honoraria, meals travel and more. How and why does this happen? A new analysis of disclosures from 10 of the largest brand drugmakers, contained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments data, shows ...