Most Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees use one or more supplemental benefits, with most health plan members using multiple benefits, according to a newly released report from the Elevance Health Public Policy Institute.

A monthslong investigation into a rural California warehouse uncovered an illegal laboratory filled with infectious agents, medical waste and hundreds of mice bioengineered “to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus,” according to Fresno County authorities. Health and licensing said Monday that Prestige Biotech, a Chinese medical company registered in Nevada, was operating the unlicensed facility ...

California has one of the highest rates of Alzheimer’s disease in the country, according to a new study. Why it matters: It’s critical for public health officials, policymakers and others to have a clear look at the number of Alzheimer’s cases in a given area, the authors say — in part because caring for those with ...

Quest Diagnostics (DGX.N) on Monday launched the first direct-to-consumer blood test to detect abnormal levels of beta amyloid, a key Alzheimer’s disease protein that can appear years before dementia symptoms arise. The $399 test, called AD-Detect, uses the same technology as a blood test the company began selling for use by doctors in early 2022. “One of ...

A key Senate committee on Wednesday advanced bipartisan legislation aimed at regulating pharmacy benefit managers, the intermediaries in the prescription drug supply chain who negotiate discounts with drug companies on behalf of insurance plans. The Senate Finance Committee approved the measure by a vote of 25-1, showing the broad bipartisan interest in PBM reform. Only ...

California’s highest court has revived a high-profile lawsuit that could have a major impact on whether insurers can punish physicians who refer patients to out-of-network providers. The case, which has bounced around courts in the Golden State since 2012, pits the nearly 50,000-member California Medical Association (CMA) against Aetna, one of the nation’s largest health ...