Vanessa Barahona received a call this past spring from Angelica at Kern Family Health Care in Bakersfield, California, telling her it was time to renew her coverage under Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid. Angelica helped Barahona, 41, schedule an appointment to complete her paperwork in person at Kern Family’s offices before she submitted it ...
Employer benefits are under more pressure and scrutiny than they have been in years. “Cost volatility, more complex workforce needs, tighter regulatory requirements and emerging technologies such as AI are pushing organizations beyond incremental adjustments toward more disciplined benefit management,” according to the latest Benefits Benchmarks report from Gallagher. The report focused on five key ...
The Trump administration announced it will end a subsidy program aimed at keeping premiums low for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. In a notice posted Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released key guidance for Part D plans as they prepare bids ahead of the upcoming annual enrollment period. In it, the agency said it would ...
Democratic attorneys general are making a renewed push to challenge the latest regulation governing the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. In a lawsuit filed Friday, the AGs of 21 states, as well as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, argue that the rule, which establishes key policies for the 2027 plan year, will make ACA plans more expensive ...
California House Republicans are asking the Trump administration to prevent Democratic state leaders from implementing a new tax on health insurers. Six House members, including Reps. Kevin Kiley, I-Rocklin, and James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, sent a letter Friday to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare ...
Health plan cost trends for employer-sponsored benefits are approaching their highest levels in 15 years, fueled by inflationary pressure, AI implementation, a broken No Surprises Act dispute resolution process and market consolidation. “We have seen elevated medical trends for several years, but costs now feel like they’re reaching a breaking point,” said Edward Kaplan, national ...