Update 4/7/2020: This article has been updated to reflect Health Net is a subsidiary of Centene and that Centene has acquired WellCare.
In light of the coronavirus outbreak, payers across America...
A new report warns of rising premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for beneficiaries resulting from healthcare spending to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covered California, the state’s health...
Cigna and Humana have announced they are waiving all cost-sharing for coronavirus-related treatment to reduce or entirely eliminate out-of-pocket costs.
For more coronavirus updates, visit...
Since the beginning of the pandemic, healthcare stakeholders have guessed that overall and out-of-pocket healthcare spending for coronavirus treatment will be high. But now researchers from the...
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the second relief package for the coronavirus pandemic, passed on March 18 with an overwhelming majority in the House and Senate. The act extends...
Communication is key to fighting coronavirus yet some members found payer member engagement lacking in the early weeks of the pandemic, a recent eHealth survey underscored.
For more coronavirus...
While for many in the US the novel strain of coronavirus sweeping the nation seems to pose little threat and some question the need for stringent mitigation measures, researchers from the Kaiser Family...
Despite having generally the same level of disability as Medicare beneficiaries in a traditional fee-for-service model, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have lower spending and lower cost burden, a...
Updated 03/13/2020: This article has been updated to include information from a CMS FAQ regarding essential health benefit coverage.
Updated 3/27/2020: Since this article was originally published...
Short-term limited duration policies may provide lower premium rates, but when patients contract unexpected, high-cost health conditions, these plans may leave members exposed to higher out-of-pocket...
Employer-sponsored health plans spent $5,892 per plan member in 2018, most of which went towards emergency department visits and other outpatient services, according to a report produced by the Health...
Surprise billing occurrences can become more likely when providers and payers are locked in a contract dispute, like UnitedHealthcare’s (UHC’s) dispute with MEDNAX that is set to end...
More Medicare beneficiaries are accessing dental, vision, and hearing coverage through Medicare Advantage, but their plans are not getting adequate financial protections from out-of-pocket costs for...
A bipartisan vote in the House Committee on Education and Labor advanced the Ban Surprise Billing Act on February 11, which aims to reduce surprise billing and increase healthcare transparency.
The...
The HHS Transparency in Coverage proposed rule is not an actionable or secure method to achieving price transparency, nor is it an authorized exercise of HHS authority, AHIP argues in its comments on...
Eighteen Blue Cross Blue Shield Association companies will be forming a subsidiary to handle high outpatient generic medication spending and combat drug shortages, announced Blue Cross Blue Shield...
Medicare Advantage has a significant cost reduction value over traditional, fee-for-service Medicare, a recent report from UnitedHealth Group (UHG) found.
“Medicare Advantage (MA) plans cover...
Medicaid expansion may influence postpartum coverage stability and outpatient utilization based on results from Colorado and Utah’s Medicaid programs, a recent Health Affairs study found.
Using...
Price tags of life-saving treatments are continuing to increase, with nearly $150 billion being spent nationally per year for cancer care, four times more than treatment for other common health...
The drug pricing and coverage plan at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is poised to improve medication adherence, with the payer boasting a 5.9 percentage point lower rate of cost-related...
