Chris Anderson
A new report from the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that 14.1 million children, or 19.3 percent, were underinsured by their health insurance plans in 2007, and that those with private insurance were more likely to be underinsured (24.2 percent) than children with public health insurance (14.7 percent).
A recently published Consumers Union report titled "How Much is Too Much?" contends some non-profit Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans have racked up large cash surpluses while continuing to aggressively raise insurance rates.
The Ohio Association of Home Medical Equipment Services has announced its opposition to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' competitive bidding plan for Medicare reimbursements, joining a host of other organizations that contend the plan is unsustainable will put provider organizations out of business and, as a result, restrict access to needed medical equipment and care.
Emdeon, Inc., a provider of healthcare revenue and payment cycle management solutions, has entered a strategic relationship with Noridian Mutual Insurance that's aimed at increasing Emdeon's penetration in the public payer sector.
Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Media and Democracy say recent reductions in medical spending by seven public insurers is a thinly-veiled attempt to keep expenses high and profits intact once new ACA medical loss ratio requirements kick in.
WellCare Health Plans has agreed to a $137.5 million settlement with the Department of Justice and will pay another $194 million to settle a class action lawsuit over healthcare fraud allegations.
The Medicare Trustees' annual report projects substantially lower annual increases in healthcare costs as a result of the Affordable Care Act for services provided by hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies.
The Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services says current competitive bidding has produced "suicide bids" that reduce reimbursement rates so much they will likely put many medical equipment providers out of business.
Employers lack adequate data from third-party providers to effectively manage their health benefits costs, says a new report from the Healthcare Performance Management Institute.
CVS Caremark and Aetna have signed a 12-year contract to provide pharmacy benefit management services to Aetna's 9.7 million customers and members, representing more than $9.5 billion in annual drug spending.