Author name: jamesbrogdon

Via SBT: Full article here “Last year, local doctors set out with a goal of “no new addicts,” and Anderson says he sees progress. “The recognition and education has already made a big impact in our community,” he said. About four months ago, the St. Joseph Health System worked with its emergency departments to limit […]

From 2015 to 2016, the percentage of small firms offering medical coverage through a self funded health plan grew from 10% of firms to 15% of firms (that’s a single year increase of 50% and a much faster shift than we have seen in the past for migration to things like High Deductible Health Plans

Interesting findings from the latest study from FAIR Health: From 2007 to 2016, urgent care centers showed an increase in claim lines of 1,725 percent—a growth rate more than seven times that of ER claim lines (229 percent) in the same period; In retail clinics and urgent care centers in 2016, acute respiratory infections, such

Findings  In 2016, the United States spent nearly twice as much as 10 high-income countries on medical care and performed less well on many population health outcomes. Contrary to some explanations for high spending, social spending and health care utilization in the United States did not differ substantially from other high-income nations. Prices of labor and

Per EmployeeBenefitNews: CVS’s reported bid for Aetna would give the drugstore chain a strong position in the pharmacy benefits management market. It would also add to a series of moves CVS has been making in pharma, healthcare and health analytics. In many respects, the deal with Aetna makes sense. CVS has expanded dramatically beyond its retail pharmacy

Note: In addition to the changes discussed below, Anthem has also been making formulary changes, particularly in the small group fully insured market.  Indiana employers currently covered with Anthem should review pharmacy coverage before making any plan changes. Per The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.: Anthem Inc. is aiming to have its own pharmacy benefit manager

According to the New York Times: Despite President Trump’s pronouncements, not only is Obamacare not dead, there are signs that his administration is keeping it alive. In the latest signal that the Affordable Care Act is still law, the Internal Revenue Service said this week that it is taking steps to enforce the most controversial

As published by Law360.com on October 19, 2017: On Oct. 12 President Donald Trump issued an executive order regarding the federal laws governing health care and insurance. The executive order itself does not change the existing rules. Rather, it instructs the applicable federal agencies — the U.S. Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services — to “consider

The Executive Order has three main points, each directing a different organization to revisit restrictions of the Affordable Care Act. “The order directs the Secretary of Labor to consider expanding access to Association Health Plans (AHPs), which could potentially allow American employers to form groups across State lines.” If the DOL allowed a broader interpretation

LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute finds many retirees underestimate their retirement expenses in the areas of basic living expenses, health care and long-term care expenses, and discretionary expenses with the biggest disparity in the area of health care and long-term care expenses.* The Institute finds more than 40 percent of retirees find their health care and