Healthcare Spending

Higher Market Share Helps Payers in Negotiations, Premium Impact Unclear

by Kelsey Waddill

Payers with larger market shares tend to have lower prices nationally, a study published in Health Affairs confirmed. The researchers used data from Turquoise Health, a company that collects hospital...

Medicare Advantage, Part D Premiums Increased Slightly in 2023

by Victoria Bailey

Average monthly premiums for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans have increased in 2023, and fewer beneficiaries selected zero-dollar premium plans, a report from eHealth, Inc. found. eHealth’s...

AHIP Marketing Campaign Targets Pharma’s Prescription Drug Pricing

by Kelsey Waddill

AHIP has launched a marketing campaign targeting pharmaceutical companies and the role of prescription drug pricing in healthcare spending. “Let’s be clear, Big Pharma continues to...

Adjusting Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Criteria May Increase Savings

by Victoria Bailey

Adjusting eligibility criteria for Medicare prescription drug price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act to include drugs with biosimilars and allow for drug selection based on net spending...

Employees Turn to Health Savings Accounts to Manage Healthcare Costs

by Kelsey Waddill

Employees—particularly in younger generations—are investing in health savings accounts to manage their healthcare spending and find their employer-sponsored health plans are not enough to...

Vertical Integration Raises Spending for Medicare Advantage Plans

by Victoria Bailey

Owning related businesses was associated with higher healthcare expenditures for Medicare Advantage plans, pointing to some of the consequences of vertical integration, a report from the USC-Brookings...

How Overall, Out-of-Pocket Costs of Obesity Escalated in 10 Years

by Kelsey Waddill

Obesity was linked to higher healthcare spending and higher out-of-pocket costs for individuals in employer-sponsored health plans, according to a Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health System...

MA Beneficiaries Satisfied With Coverage but Face Financial Barriers

by Victoria Bailey

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries face more financial barriers than Medicare Supplement beneficiaries, but plan satisfaction is high for both groups, an eHealth report found. The report reflects survey...

CA VBID Program Boosted Primary Care Use, Contained Healthcare Costs

by Victoria Bailey

California’s value-based insurance design (VBID) program was associated with a higher probability of primary care use, a lower probability of inpatient admissions, and no change in total costs...

Humana Shares Data on Economic Contributions in Florida

by Mark Melchionna

Throughout 2022, Humana provided a high level of financial support to the state of Florida, taking responsibility for many jobs and a large share of wages and taxes. Recent news from Humana...

How Medicaid Managed Care Orgs Can Better Invest in SDOH Interventions

by Victoria Bailey

Medicaid managed care organizations can leverage financial bonds to help increase funds for social determinants of health interventions and avoid underinvesting, according to research published in...

Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries See Lower Hospitalization Rates

by Victoria Bailey

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) experienced lower rates of hospitalizations but higher rates of emergency department (ED) direct discharges and...

The Cost of Cancer Should Reflect Impacts on Wellbeing, Productivity

by Kelsey Waddill

The cost of cancer goes beyond financial expenditures for adolescent and young adult patients, extending into mental health impacts and workplace productivity losses, according to a report...

How the Inflation Reduction Act Impacted Medicare Part D Benefit Design

by Kelsey Waddill

Medicare Part D plan liability could lead to major changes in benefits and formulary design for beneficiaries in the coming years, according to an Avalere study that was funded by PhRMA. The...

Health Savings Account Balances, Contributions Grew in 2021

by Victoria Bailey

The average health savings account (HSA) balance increased in 2021, with most account holders contributing more money than they withdrew, according to a report from the Employee Research Benefit...

Cigna’s Integrated Health Plan Reduced Care Costs for Employers

by Victoria Bailey

Employers saved more than $1,400 per member per year when employees enrolled in Cigna’s integrated health plan that coordinates medical, pharmacy, and behavioral benefits, according to a study...

BCBSA: 6 Policy Changes Could Save $767B in Healthcare Spending

by Kelsey Waddill

In a report and briefing, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) recommended policy solutions that could help bring runaway healthcare spending under control, saving $767 billion across 10...