December 8, 2021
The health insurance industry is typically behind the overall economy when it comes to innovation. This is a major problem since insurance premiums and costs are on an unsustainable trajectory. Employers often find themselves stuck in the cycle of increasing annual renewals with their only option being to spreadsheet other carriers and plans. But what …
December 1, 2021
As we hurtle towards 2022 and wrap up open enrollments for many of our groups, we’re seeing some continuing trends as well as new ones. With the end of the year upon us and the corresponding flood of lists out there, we figured “Why not add one more?” and put together our predictions for benefits …
October 20, 2021
Surprise medical bills have received a good amount of attention recently and for good reason. Sarah Kliff, a health policy reporter for the New York Times, has written extensively on this topic recently. Surprise medical bills cost Americans millions each year. After years of debate, Congress is now set to ban most of them. https://t.co/3eoeez9Ina …
April 7, 2021
Much has been made of the potential for price transparency tools in health care to solve the high costs of health care that affect Americans. Washington and state legislatures have demonstrated a belief in the potential of these tools and the industry expects many ripple effects from the price transparency rule that became effective the …
March 11, 2021
The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law this week. The bill is enormous and includes funding and provisions for many facets of the U.S. economy. Specifically, this post will cover the key provisions that support …
February 1, 2021
The Biden Administration has made healthcare a key pillar of it’s first 100 days in office. On January 28th, the president announced an Executive Order with significant impacts on health care so we wanted to put together a quick summary with what you need to know. Specifically, groups with association health plans will want to …
October 14, 2020
Small employers across the country consider self-funded health insurance as a way to provide affordable health benefits for their employees. Statistically, a large or mid-sized group is more likely to self-fund their medical benefits than a small employer because of the financial risks involved. This makes sense given that one large claim could represent a …
September 28, 2020
Last week, the Trump administration finally released it’s final rule for lowering drug prices after teasing the rule for months. Under this rule, states are allowed to import drugs from Canada as long as it would save consumers money and won’t impose safety risks to the public. What Country Pays the Most for Prescription Drugs? …
September 18, 2020
Prescription drug prices in the U.S. are much higher than in other countries for a variety of reasons, including a limitation on Medicare’s ability to negotiate with manufacturers. That may change, depending on what happens next. The White House finally released text of an executive order first signed in July that would tie Medicare payments …
September 8, 2020
The California legislature sent a bill to Gavin Newsom’s desk last week that would grant nurse practitioners the ability to practice without doctor supervision, albeit with some concessions to the doctor’s lobby in the state. Currently, nurse practitioners can practice and see patients in California only if they have a written agreement with an overseeing …
