Health insurers and patients could safely save many billions of dollars annually by swapping out a more expensive drug for a less expensive generic in the same class of drugs, according to a study published Monday.

As proposed health insurance premium rates for 2017 are being filed with state insurance departments across the country, actuaries are providing an early look at what’s driving changes in premium rates for 2017 within the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual and small group markets. A new issue brief produced by the American Academy of Actuaries’ Individual and Small Group Markets Committee, “Drivers of 2017 Health Insurance Premium Changes,” outlines the drivers.

If patients know how much their medical care costs, they’ll shop around for the cheapest option — and over time, health care costs will go down. At least, that’s the idea behind the drive to improve price transparency, a strategy embraced by Donald Trump, among others.

WANT to spend more quality time with your doctor? Maybe you should try joining a group.

About 170,000 children and teens are expected to qualify for coverage when Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid, is expanded on May 16. California is the first state in the nation to extend coverage to children in the U.S. illegally.

Cigna Corp.’s acquisition by health-insurance rival Anthem (NYSE:ANTM) may not be approved this year, Cigna (NYSE:CI) said Friday in a regulatory filing.