Vital Health Officials You’ve Never Heard Of: Insurance Commissioners In The Hot Seat
The fate of the Affordable Care Act’s individual insurance marketplaces remains in play as state insurance commissioners take a central role in the debate.
Denial, Appeal, Approval … An Adult’s Thorny Path To Spinraza Coverage
The FDA granted approval for Spinraza in late December for use on children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy. Insurance coverage is mostly focused on infants and children.
Drug Puts A $750,000 ‘Price Tag On Life’
The high cost of Spinraza, a new and promising treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, highlights how the cost-benefit analysis insurers use to make drug coverage decisions plays out in human terms.
States Have Tried Versions Of ‘Skinny Repeal.’ It Didn’t Go Well.
Republican senators are warming to the idea of a scaled-back plan that would delete the Affordable Care Act’s individual and employer mandates but leave the rest of law generally intact. But this approach has caused difficulties in the past.
Cruz Plan Gets Thumbs Up From HHS But Thumbs Down From Most Everyone Else
During another day of fast-moving developments, Senate Republicans signaled their intent to attempt to bring an updated repeal-and-delay bill to the floor for a vote next week.
The failure this week of the U.S. Senate’s ACA repeal effort was one more twist in the ongoing political drama that has complicated routine rate setting for insurers and state officials.
5 Ways GOP Reforms Could Change Your Health Plan Options
A key bill provision would likely lower premiums, but coverage would be skimpier with consumers left to figure out the trade-offs.
GOP Health Bill Eases Rules For Some Small-Business Plans
Congressional Republicans are keen to loosen restrictions set by the federal health law on insurance sold by associations that small employers join.
What Tax Breaks? Those Promised In GOP Plans Go Mostly To Top 1%
Similar to the House-passed American Health Care Act, the Senate GOP health bill would change or eliminate more than a dozen taxes that were put in place to help pay for provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
Should GOP Health Bill Prevail, Say Bye-Bye To Insurance Rebates
A little-noticed provision of the Senate GOP health plan would unwind an Affordable Care Act provision limiting insurer profits, administrative costs.
Winners And Losers: 40 Is Old In Senate GOP Health Plan’s Subsidy Structure
The latest Republican plan to revamp the health law reshapes how age and income affect what help consumers get for paying premiums.
Medical Responses To Opioid Addiction Vary By State, Analysis Finds
The study also found that the largest percentage of medical coverage claims related to opioid abuse and dependence nationally come from older patients — those ages 51 to 60.
New York State Wants Its Prescription Drug Money Back — Or Else
A new law gives Medicaid regulators power to threaten drugmakers with cost-effectiveness scrutiny unless they grant additional rebates.
Overwrought Marketing? Ads, Not Research, Create Some Pharma Best-Sellers
A look at how and why strategic, star-studded advertising brought a drug for a little-known neurological condition into your home.
Repeal, Replace … Revise: Your Guide To How A Trump Proposal Might Change ACA Insurance
Even though the GOP health plan is stalled by intraparty negotiations, some big insurance changes are still in the works.
Prescription Drug Costs Are On The Rise; So Are The TV Ads Promoting Them
Spending on consumer advertising by drugmakers has increased 62 percent since 2012.
Companies Behind Health Savings Accounts Could Bank On Big Profits Under GOP Plan
With Republicans in control of Congress and the White House, HSAs — a longtime favorite of conservatives — are likely to get a boost.
Health Insurance: What If You Could Take It With You?
“Portability” will likely be a buzz word in the health law repeal-and-replace debate, but the concept raises a number of complicated policy issues.
GOP Fix To Insurance Markets Could Spike Premiums For Older Customers
As Republicans consider how to bring down costs for younger people, lawmakers may relax or eliminate the restrictions on how much more insurers can charge older consumers.
HSAs: ‘Tax-Break Trifecta’ Or Insurance Gimmick Benefiting The Wealthy?
Republicans hope to expand the use of health savings accounts to encourage consumers to be more judicious in using their coverage. Here’s an explainer of how they work.
