Jeff Lagasse

Author's posts

More patients requesting access to medical records, ONC says

More and more patients are accessing their medical records via patient portals or apps on their phones and tablets, and the frequency with which they access these records is increasing, according to a new report from the Office of the National Coordina…

$1.4 billion in profit propels Cigna in Q3

The Cigna Group has collected $1.4 billion in profit and $49 billion in revenue during the third quarter of this year, and while the total profit is only half of what Cigna reported during Q3 2022, revenue increased by about $4 billion year-over-year.

HHS settles $100K ransomware investigation

Massachusetts-based medical management company Doctors’ Management Services will pay the Department of Health and Human Service and the Office of Civil Rights $100,000 in a settlement over a ransomware attack.

CVS Health takes in $2.3 billion in profit during Q3

CVS Health logged strong earnings and revenue performance during the third quarter, hitting $2.3 billion in profit, the company said this week.
Total revenues increased to $89.8 billion, for the quarter and $264 billion for the year, up 10.6% compared …

Nostrum to pay up to $50 million for allegedly underpaying Medicaid drug rebates

Missouri- and New Jersey-based drugmaker Nostrum Laboratories and its founder and CEO, Dr. Nirmal Mulye, have agreed to pay a minimum of $3,825,000 – and up to $50 million if certain financial contingencies are met – to resolve allegations that they vi…

Private insurers’ prices differ based on region

Prices negotiated by health insurers show a wide amount of variation between geographic locations, with a new study in JAMA Health Forum showing that these price variations often occur with the same insurer, costing more in one locale than in another. 

CMS bumps ESRD facility payments by 2.1%

In a final rule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is increasing the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system (PPS) base rate to $271.02, increasing total payments to ESRD facilities by about 2.1% in an update to payment r…

UnitedHealthcare is expanding individual, family plans on the marketplace

UnitedHealthcare has announced it is expanding its Individual and Family Affordable Care Act Marketplace Plans from 11 to 26 states in 2024.
The expansion increases its ACA footprint from 177 to 1,032 counties.

Court upholds $2.7 billion Blue Cross antitrust settlement

An 11th Circuit panel in Atlanta has upheld a class action settlement in a $2.7 billion antitrust case against the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which means benefits will now be distributed to the subscribers who sued Blue Cross more than a decad…

More than 2 million people could be covered under Medicaid expansion

More than 2 million people would gain healthcare coverage in 2024 if 10 states were to expand Medicaid eligibility, finds a new analysis from the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.