Cardiac Rehab Improves Health, But Cost And Access Issues Complicate Success
Research shows exercise-based cardiac rehab programs help heart patients heal faster and live longer. But fewer than a third take part. Time and cost are the main barriers, doctors and patients say.
Opioid Dependence Leads To ‘Tsunami’ Of Medical Services, Study Finds
Insurance claims for medical services related to opioid dependence diagnoses rose more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014, an analysis finds.
Fraud Concerns Emerge As Compounding Drug Sales Skyrocket
Federal spending has soared for drugs that are handmade in local pharmacies, and federal investigators are raising concerns about fraud or overbilling.
Anthem, Express Scripts Face Legal Challenge Over Prescription Drug Prices
The case alleges that insured consumers were overcharged because of a contract agreement.
Flu-Miffed: Piecing Together Clues On How FluMist Lost Its Place In The Flu-Fighting Toolbox
After once being considered a preferred vaccine option for children, a CDC advisory panel recommended the spray should not be used in the upcoming flu season.
Colon Cancer Screening: Five Things To Know
The U.S Preventive Services Task Force recently expanded the list of approved colorectal cancer screening tests. Here’s a primer on these various tests and how they might be covered now and in the future by health insurance.
Filling A Prescription? You Might Be Better Off Paying Cash
Amid growing concern about rising drug costs, the practices of prescription benefit management firms are drawing a new level of attention.
Advisory Panel Targets Rising Medicare Drug Costs In Its Latest Report To Congress
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission outlined a package of changes to Medicare’s drug program that could save billions of dollars.
Medicare’s Drug-Pricing Experiment Stirs Opposition
A proposal to change the way Medicare pays for some drugs has set off intense reaction and lobbying — all tied to a common theme: How far should the government go in setting prices for prescription drugs?
Final EEOC Rule Sets Limits For Financial Incentives On Wellness Programs
The federal agency says the wellness programs can get health details about workers and their spouses as long as the financial rewards or penalties do not exceed 30 percent of the cost for an individual in the company’s group health plan.
EPA Chief McCarthy: Public Health Is ‘What We Do’
Gina McCarthy met with Kaiser Health News to answer a range of questions, including how the agency is involved in efforts to combat Zika and the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
How Medicare Drug Plans Hope To Follow Private Sector Lead
The proposal that Medicare made this month to better control prescription drug costs involves testing strategies used with some success in the private sector.
Three Changes Consumers Can Expect In Next Year’s Obamacare Coverage
The Department of Health and Human Services issues new rules designed to simplify health coverage consumers buy through Healthcare.gov.
Medicare To Test New Payment Approaches For Some Prescription Medications
Regulators unveiled a two-part plan that will change payments and test ways in which the Medicare Part B program can change the incentives that some policy experts say encourage doctors to choose higher-cost medications.
Using Data To Help Home Health Workers Manage Patients’ Conditions
A market is emerging for products that enlist data and technology to identify patients who might be at risk for hospitalization or readmission.
Women Increasingly Having Outpatient Mastectomies, New Federal Data Show
Agency For Healthcare Research and Quality data show that more women with breast cancer are opting for mastectomies over less-invasive options, and more are having the procedure in outpatient facilities where they don’t spend even one night in the hospital.
Insurer’s Approval Of Genetic Testing For Some Cancers Raises Questions
The decision by Independence Blue Cross of Pennsylvania to pay for whole genome sequencing for some cancer patients adds to the debate about how to handle these expensive tests.
Health Plans’ Coverage Of Some Drugs Can Be A Source Of Consumer Confusion
Some medicines, particularly intravenous treatments, are not listed in plans’ pharmacy benefit section and, therefore, it’s difficult to confirm coverage specifics.
Cigna CEO David Cordani: ACA Marketplace Is Still In ‘Version 1.0’
In a recent interview, Cordani discussed the evolution of exchange health plans as well the proposed merger between Cigna and Anthem.
2016 PPO Plans Remove Out-Of-Network Cost Limits, A Costly Trap For Consumers
A trend among this year’s marketplace plans leaves some consumers responsible for potentially unlimited out-of-network health care bills, even though they chose plans in which they thought they had some financial protections.
