Payer: Page 88


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    States pull back curtain on drug prices, to uncertain effect

    A newly enacted law in Colorado requires pharma companies inform doctors of drug list prices, as well as the names of three generics in the same treatment class. 

    By Ned Pagliarulo • Sept. 25, 2019
  • Air Methods in talks to contract directly with large employers

    One of the nation's largest air ambulance operators told Healthcare Dive the move comes amid challenges getting Cigna, UnitedHealth and Aetna to sign contracts.

    By Sept. 25, 2019
  • Explore the Trendline
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    Trendline

    Payer/provider relationships

    As M&A intensifies and companies embrace more holistic and value-based care models, partnerships have become more closely intertwined.

    By Healthcare Dive staff
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    America's Health Insurance Plans
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    Pelosi lieutenant to payers: Help us defeat Big Pharma

    His words sparked a clash between policy experts and industry representatives who spoke Monday during a panel at America's Health Insurance Plans' annual conference on Medicare and Medicaid.

    By Sept. 24, 2019
  • Kaiser strike called off as company, unions reach tentative agreement

    Arlene Peasnall, Kaiser's interim chief human resources officer, said the company and its workforce "may disagree at times, but we have always been able to work through our challenges to align on common goals."

    By Updated Sept. 25, 2019
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    Judge dismisses Oscar antitrust lawsuit against Florida BCBS

    Florida Blue's contract requiring brokers to sell insurance only for Florida Blue or risk losing access to all of its product lines is lawful, the federal judge wrote in his opinion.

    By Sept. 23, 2019
  • Medicare Advantage plans see barriers to non-medical benefits

    CMS allowed MA insurers to offer such benefits this year, but deployment was hampered by lack of new funding, according to a report from the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

    By Ron Shinkman • Sept. 19, 2019
  • House Democrats forge ahead with direct Medicare drug price negotiation

    While drug price constraints may still become law, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's proposal looks like a long shot.

    By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 19, 2019
  • Tennessee unveils plan to change Medicaid funding to block grant program

    The state would be the first to switch to the alternative funding mechanism if approved by federal regulators.

    By Sept. 18, 2019
  • CMS mandatory radiation oncology model should be scaled back, industry argues

    The model would examine effectiveness of site-neutral episode-based payments for treatment of 17 cancer types to radiotherapy providers and suppliers in randomly selected geographic areas.

    Sept. 18, 2019
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    Regulatory barriers limit state alternative Rx payment models

    More states are turning to alternative payment models for prescription drugs in Medicaid as they are forced to balance increasing costs with public health goals.

    By Sept. 18, 2019
  • Court refuses to stay or reconsider decision tossing CMS site neutral rule

    The court on Monday refused to modify its earlier opinion, meaning HHS will have to work out remedies for payments withheld due to the final rule.

    By Dana Elfin • Updated Oct. 21, 2019
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    Hospital market concentration on the rise, along with prices

    The Health Care Cost Institute found metro areas most concentrated also had steeper increases in inpatient prices and vice-versa​. The AHA pushed back.

    By Sept. 17, 2019
  • Congress probes private equity firms financing surprise billing fight

    Responses from KKR, Blackstone Group and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe are due no later than Sept. 30. 

    By Sept. 17, 2019
  • Dueling reports highlight payer, provider finger-pointing over healthcare costs

    Three-quarters of metro areas had a highly concentrated commercial health insurance market in 2018, up from 71% in 2014, according to the study.

    By Sept. 17, 2019
  • Health system president calls out BCBS of Massachusetts amid reimbursement squabble

    Southcoast Health is looking to sign a new contract with BCBSMA to remain in-network. In a recent letter to the editor of a local newspaper, Southcoast President Keith Hovan said the payer is putting "revenues before our patients."

    By Sept. 17, 2019
  • Treatment centers sue UnitedHealth unit for $5M in denied claims

    The action comes on the heels of a court ruling from early this year that found United Behavioral Health's treatment guidelines were too restrictive, leading to care being denied for substance use disorders.

    By Sept. 16, 2019
  • American Kidney Fund lobbies White House on charitable premium assistance

    Insurers are pushing for a reexamination of policies they argue allow financially interested third parties to steer end-stage renal disease patients eligible for Medicare or Medicaid to private plans.

    By David Lim • Sept. 16, 2019
  • Most nations grappling with increased healthcare cost trends

    The world's most expensive healthcare is in the United States. However, other countries are also struggling with medical costs and inflation.

    By Ron Shinkman • Sept. 13, 2019
  • Nursing home operator gets 20-year sentence in $1B healthcare fraud case

    The government used advanced data analysis and forensic accounting to uncover the full scope of the Miami-area scheme that bilked Medicare and Medicaid.

    By Dana Elfin • Sept. 13, 2019
  • Colorado union votes to strike at Kaiser, bringing 'yes' votes nationwide to 42K

    The strike is scheduled to begin Oct. 14 and run for seven days.

    By Updated Sept. 17, 2019
  • In blow to Amazon's PillPack, Surescripts terminates contract with data startup

    The move is the latest in ongoing tensions between the e-commerce giant and CVS, which, along with pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts and two trade groups, owns Surescripts.

    By Sept. 12, 2019
  • Employers urged to get off sidelines to trim healthcare costs

    "Healthcare is not their day job. They build ships. They stock groceries," the CEO of the Pacific Business Group on Health said. "But as costs go up, they're the ones paying it."

    By Sept. 11, 2019
  • Without much choice on ACA exchanges, will star ratings matter?

    The plan rankings are coming Nov. 1, but large swaths of the country have few carriers to choose from, raising questions about the usefulness of a rankings system.

    By Sept. 11, 2019
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    Insurers to deliver whopping $1.3B in ACA consumer rebates

    The record amount revealed in a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis reflects how profitable payers were over the past few years, largely fueled by plans in the individual market.

    By Sept. 11, 2019
  • Back in session, Congress faces industry pushback on surprise billing

    Intense lobbying by industry has taken its toll on the potential for a fix, once viewed as a promising field of action with bipartisan backing and even mention from President Donald Trump.

    By Sept. 10, 2019