Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Finding A Caregiver For A Sick Family Member Can Be Extremely Stressful. Now Companies Are Offering Their Help--At A Cost.
Reuters: To Save Time And Money, Companies Roll Out Caregiving Benefits
When Laura Hirsch of Keller Texas had to find a rehabilitation center to help her father recover from a difficult surgery in September, the caregiving service Cariloop saved her a whole day. A case manager at Cariloop, based in Richardson, Texas, sorted through more than a dozen rehab facility options, then armed Hirsch with the right questions to ask when choosing among the final contenders. (3/4)
Reuters: Will $14.5 Billion Plug GE's Long-Term Care Insurance Hole? Some Experts Say 'No'
General Electric Co is setting aside one of the largest amounts ever to cover potential losses on policies that provide long-term care in nursing facilities and patients' homes. But insurance experts are concerned that may not be enough. GE shocked investors last year when it took a $6.2 billion after-tax charge and said it planned to set aside $15 billion over seven years to cover claims on some 300,000 long-term care policies written more than a decade ago, when actuaries did not yet know how costly the claims would become. (Scott, 3/4)
Bloomberg: Cigna CEO Expressed Regret About Merger That Later Failed
While publicly backing Cigna Corp.’s 2015 merger with rival health insurer Anthem Inc. as good for investors, Cigna’s CEO privately expressed regret about signing on to a deal that left him with a reduced role, lawyers for Anthem said in court Monday. Cigna shareholders were slated to get nearly a 30 percent premium for their stock in Anthem’s $48.9 billion buyout. But David Cordani, Cigna’s chief executive officer, lost out to Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish in a corporate duel over who would lead the combined company, set to be the largest health insurer by membership in the U.S. (Feeley, 3/4)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Anthem Tells Clients Contracts Have Changed Regarding Specialists
Last year, the insurance giant Anthem made a contract with its individual policyholders. They could keep going to their specialists, the contract said, without a referral from a primary care doctor. Now Anthem says that was a mistake. (Hart, 3/4)
