On March 27, 2020, the U.S. Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to provide $2.2 trillion in federal funding to address the COVID-19 crisis. The CARES Act expands Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) coverage and provisions related to telehealth services, guidelines for Medicare …
In efforts to ease consumers’ concerns about healthcare costs in light of the COVID-19 crisis, at least nine states have reopened their health insurance exchanges for uninsured residents to enroll in coverage. The response stems from the necessity for uninsured patients to be able to receive the medical care they …
Health insurance companies are taking action to ensure members have coverage for and access to needed testing as the new coronavirus strain, COVID-19, continues to spread across the United States. Carriers such as Aetna, Independence Blue Cross, Highmark, and Cigna are actively monitoring the spread of the virus; and diligently …
On March 2, 2020, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a third major challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after rulings in two other major cases confronted core previsions of the healthcare law. The court agreed to hear the case in its new term which begins in October 2020. …
Health officials worldwide are working to contain cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus that originated in China. In January, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.” As the virus continues to …
CVS Health has designed a new program called RxZERO, which aims to provide affordable medications to individuals living with diabetes without the astronomical out-of-pocket expenses. “Eliminating out-of-pocket costs for diabetes medications ensures long-term affordability, improves adherence and, most importantly, puts patients on the path to better health.” Dr. Troyen A. …
On February 4, 2020, President Donald Trump delivered the 2020 State of the Union Address (SOTU) to a joint session of Congress. A series of topics were presented including private healthcare, federal paid family leave and prescription drug cost reform. These items have already made significant impacts on the employee’ …
CVS Health plans to launch a new insurance product by the end of March 2020. It will absorb the astronomical expenses health plan members experience when undergoing gene therapy. “With prices for a single treatment as high as $2 million, many employers are struggling to find ways to offer coverage …
The United States saw cancer death rates decrease by 2.2% from 2016 to 2017, the biggest single-year drop in history. According to a report from the American Cancer Society, the United States has seen a 29% decrease in cancer rates from 1991 to 2016 — which equates to 2.9 million …
On December 18, 2019, it was released that New York Life Insurance Co. agreed to pay $6.3 billion for a Cigna Corp. unit that sells non-medical insurance products to employers. New York Life Insurance Co. is one of the nation’s oldest and financially strongest life insurers. As low interest rates …
Four major hospital groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the rule on healthcare transparency released in November. The rule would require hospitals to disclose their pricing information, including negotiated rates. The Federation of American Hospitals, the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the …
On December 4, 2019, Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS) announced it will be partnering with Novartis AG, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. “AWS’s security, scalability, and highly reliable infrastructure can help Novartis advance its technical operations with greater agility and customer-orientation, and potentially reduce the time it takes …
On Friday, November 15, 2019, the Trump administration released its final rule regarding hospital price transparency, which will take effect in 2021. What does this new rule mean? Hospitals will now be required to provide easily accessible billing information to patients. This means having all standard charges available online and …
Amazon has announced that it’s launching a virtual health clinic for Seattle-based employees and their families. What is the goal of this virtual health clinic? It will aim to provide telemedicine, in-person services, in-home follow-up appointments for employees, as well as serve as a vehicle for prescribing medications. This new …
On Monday, July 29, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) proposed rules that would require all Medicare-participating hospitals to post their negotiated prices for standard healthcare services. The Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) & Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) proposed rule is intended to increase pricing transparency and help …
