Cigna: US Patients’ Drug Expenses Won’t Exceed Employer Contributions
In the wake of federal pressure over its prescription costs, Cigna Group is looking to lower the out-of-pocket drug expenses that its patients face by matching the amount to employer contributions and not the company's list price. Other news covers drug prices, strikes, clinic closures, and more.
Bloomberg:
Cigna Plans To Limit Out-Of-Pocket Drug Costs For US Patients
Cigna Group plans to limit patients’ out-of-pocket expenses for medications as the insurer faces pressure from Washington over its role in prescription costs. The changes aim to ensure that patients don’t pay the drug company’s list price for medications and don’t pay more out-of-pocket for their medications than the amount that their employer contributes, a top executive said in an interview with Bloomberg News. (Tozzi, 1/29)
Fierce Healthcare:
Express Scripts Takes New Steps On Transparency, Affordability
Pharmacy benefit management giant Express Scripts unveiled several steps it's taking to boost transparency and mitigate high costs members may face. The PBM said in an announcement that about 80% of its members pay less than $100 per year on their medications, but the remaining 20% are at times exposed to higher costs, a trend that's particularly true for people who may be in high-deductible plans. (Minemyer, 1/30)
Modern Healthcare:
PBGH To Combine Employer, Hospital, Insurer Price Data
A big-business coalition is using hospital, insurer and employer healthcare cost information to help companies negotiate the price of services and coverage for employees. The Purchaser Business Group on Health will combine healthcare price transparency data and other information from providers and insurers with claims data from five large employers to analyze the cost and quality of care across 10 markets, the group said in a Wednesday news release. (Tepper, 1/29)
More health industry developments —
CBS News:
SEIU Healthcare Workers At UPMC Washington Hospital Prepared To Strike For Better Wages
SEIU healthcare employees at UPMC Washington Hospital say a strike is looming. With just two days left to negotiate a new contract for 300 hospital employees, workers remain hopeful an agreement can be reached, but they say they're prepared to strike for better wages. "If that's what it comes to, then that's where we're headed," said SEIU union chapter president and EKG technician Melissa Duran. (Bortz, 1/29)
Modern Healthcare:
Amazon One Medical, Montefiore Health To Open Primary Care Sites
Amazon One Medical is planning to open primary care offices with Montefiore Health System in New York in 2026. The primary care offices will offer same- and next-day appointments, onsite lab services and virtual care support, according to a Wednesday news release. Amazon One Medical and Montefiore plan to open multiple locations over the next several years and will work together to pick them, a One Medical spokesperson said. (Hudson, 1/29)
Modern Healthcare:
Advocate Health To Close Walgreens Clinics In Illinois, Wisconsin
Advocate Health is shuttering 55 clinics inside Walgreens stores in Illinois and Wisconsin, effective Feb. 6. Advocate owns and operates 47 in-store clinics in Illinois and eight in Wisconsin. An Advocate spokesperson said Wednesday the health system is working with Walgreens to navigate the transition and will try to find other roles for affected employees. Each clinic employs one or two medical office assistants and other clinicians who support virtual care services. (Hudson, 1/29)
WJCT:
Baptist Health Unveils Details Of A New $190 Million Emergency Tower In Jacksonville
Baptist Health unveiled plans Tuesday for a new $190 million, four-story, 123,000-square-foot emergency center in Jacksonville. The facility design shows an expanded capacity to care for chest pain, stroke, behavioral health crises, complex illnesses or injuries, pediatric trauma and more. (Scanlan, 1/29)
WGCU:
Lee Health Celebrates Groundbreaking For A State-Of-Art Hospital Campus
Lee Health broke ground Monday on a new hospital that will add to the medical services available to care for Southwest Florida's growing population. The state-of-the-art health care facility will go up on a 53-acre site at Colonial and Challenger boulevards in the eastern part of Lee County. (1/29)
Also —
Modern Healthcare:
Samsung Medison Launches AI-Enabled Ob-Gyn Ultrasound Scanner
Samsung Medison launched an artificial intelligence-powered ultrasound scanner Wednesday for advanced obstetrics and gynecology applications. The Samsung Z20 scanner, which has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration, includes a deep learning tool called Live ViewAssist that can automatically identify 39 views, label up to 47 anatomic structures and perform 46 types of measurements. (Dubinsky, 1/29)
KFF Health News:
Telehealth Companies Boost Ad Spending While Taking On More Complex Medicine
Shannon Sharpe was having one of those 15-minutes-of-internet-infamy moments. Social media blew up in September after the retired Denver Broncos tight end — accidentally, he later said — broadcast some of his intimate activities online. One of his sponsors took advantage of the moment: the telehealth company Ro, which sells a variety of prescription medicines for erectile dysfunction and hair and weight loss. The company revved up a social media campaign on the social platform X for an ad in which Sharpe boasted about his experience with the company’s erectile dysfunction medications, a company spokesperson confirmed. (Tahir, 1/30)
