Author's posts
Health insurers introduce flexibilities in response to Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian has left a mounting death toll in Florida after ripping through the state and displacing families from their homes, and the echoes of the storm are still being felt along the East Coast, where it continues to cause difficulties as a post-…
Drug prices soaring beyond inflation rate, necessitating action, says HHS
For decades, Americans have spent more on prescription drugs than people in other countries. The Biden Administration has been involved in ongoing efforts to stem this trend, making prescription drugs more affordable to both improve public health and p…
Nonprofit hospitals expanding charity care, but not all changes positive
About 84% of nonprofit hospitals updated their charity care policies from 2019 to 2021, during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, and according to findings published in JAMA Network Open, these updated policies resulted in mostly positive changes.
H…
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts debuting virtual primary care option
Beginning January 1 of next year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts will introduce a new virtual primary care option dubbed the “Virtual Care Team Feature,” which enables members to receive comprehensive virtual healthcare through a team that inc…
Walmart partners with Kindbody on fertility benefits
Retail giant Walmart, which is increasingly muscling its way into the healthcare space, is partnering with Kindbody as the fertility provider for its new Center of Excellence (COE). Kindbody is a family-building benefits provider for employers.
CMS expanding Medicaid initiatives in Massachusetts and Oregon
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration initiatives in Massachusetts and Oregon, both of which aim to test improvements in coverage, access and quality.
Payer group decries insurer fines in House mental health parity bill
Major payer group the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), representing large employer plan sponsors, wrote a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives this week decrying legislation that would impose fines on insurers who don’t follow mental health pay …
OIG finds ‘significantly reduced’ improper payments to acute care hospitals
An audit of inappropriate Medicare payments to acute care hospitals has found that such improper payments are on the decline: While hospitals logged $39.3 million in improper Medicare Part B payments from 2016 to 2021, that’s a decrease from the $51.6 …
Pharmacists ask administration to retain COVID-19 emergency powers
A major pharmacy group has sent a letter to the White House urging the administration to retain COVID-19 emergency provisions under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act for a couple more years.
HHS putting $5 million toward cancer screening access
The Biden administration is putting $5 million toward community health centers in an effort to increase access to cancer screenings and early detection services for underserved populations. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the …
