A patent law change sought by the pharmaceutical industry could cost federal health-care programs $1.3 billion over a decade by delaying new generic medicines, an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office found this summer, according to people familiar with the matter. Pharmaceutical trade groups are asking Congress to exempt drug patents from being challenged through ...

Finance chiefs at companies ranging from Cisco Systems Inc. to Westmoreland Coal Co. are scrutinizing employee health benefits as they face the Affordable Care Act’s looming “Cadillac tax” on generous health plans. They aren’t the only ones. Across the country, cities and states are also scrambling to figure out how many millions the tax will cost them. The ferment underscores how ...

Federal spending on Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and exchange subsidies will rise from 5.2% of the country’s economic output in 2015 to 6.2% in 2025, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday inupdated budget projections (PDF). The CBO said in its March report that those healthcare programs would constitute 6.1% of the country’s ...

Only a tiny fraction of the growing number of people with health savings accounts invests the money in their accounts in the financial markets, according to a recent study. The vast majority leave their contributions in savings accounts instead where the money may earn lower returns. People who have had their health savings accounts for a longer ...

A new study finds that 75% of California’s Obamacare health plans have narrow physician networks — more limited choices than all but three other states. The latest report examines health plans sold to consumers last year under the Affordable Care Act and shows wide variation in the prevalence of narrow networks across the country. Only ...

In the last few days, Scott Walker and Marco Rubio released health care plans, and other Republican candidates are sure to follow soon.