Health/Employee Benefits News

Kentucky's largest provider of drug and alcohol treatment is continuing to cut staff and expenses, citing "significant reimbursement cuts" by some private insurance companies that manage state Medicaid payments. Addiction Recovery Care, or ARC, recently reduced its workforce by 105 employees, Matt Brown, ARC chief administration officer said in an email Nov….

Unfortunately, in Colorado, there is an increasing need for youth mental health services and a rising percentage of young people are not receiving the help they need. A 2023 study by the Colorado Health Institute found that 22.3% of Coloradans aged 5 to 25 reported poor mental health and 18.6% of young people said they needed mental health care but didn't get it…

Mike Plante struggled with his weight for years, but within six months of starting with the injection drug semaglutide, a medication for diabetes that's also being used for weight-loss, he's down 65 pounds. "I still have an appetite; I just get full quicker," Plante, of South Charleston, said. Instead, he pays nearly $500 a month for the drug through Reflex MD, a company…

I was checking out at the supermarket the other day, and as usual, fell into conversation with the checkout person, an elderly woman. She was sharing a bagger with the next lane over. When the bagger— another elderly lady— joined us, I noticed a pretty heavy limp.

Consider this: Health insurance is a product so terrible that few Americans voluntarily buy it without receiving a sizable subsidy. "No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did, " UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty wrote this month.

The cost of epinephrine auto-injector devices, commonly known as "EpiPen" devices, is slated to become a little more affordable for families due to legislation recently signed into law in New York. Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation to cut the out-of-pocket contribution required for the devices, with the new law requiring health insurers to cover…

Trinity Health of New England was still at odds in contract negotiations with health insurer Aetna just four days before the current agreement is set to expire, raising the worrisome possibility that many patients insured by Aetna will lose their "in-network" status with the health system's hospitals and doctors. The negotiations between Trinity Health– the…

The Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce, which the Legislature moved from UMMC to the State Department of Health last year, will oversee the programs. The office was created by the Legislature in 2012 and has assisted with the creation or supported 19 accredited graduate medical education programs in Mississippi, said health department spokesperson…

With ideas floating around in Washington to cut back on health care coverage, Illinois should do what it can to protect its residents.In July, Gov. Without the enhanced subsidies, the Congressional Budget Office estimates, ACA enrollment will drop from 22.8 million in 2025 to 15.4 million in 2030. That's a lot of people who will lose their health insurance.And…

2024 DEC 27– By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News– Data detailed on opioids have been presented. According to news reporting originating from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine by NewsRx correspondents, research stated,“ The Medicaid program is the largest payer of opioid use disorder treatment, including medications for OUD.”.

I suppose it is some sort of indication, as far as the public's attitude towards health insurance companies goes, that when the CEO of United Healthcare was shot down on a sidewalk in Manhattan, the outpouring of sympathy for the victim might better be described as a dry wash. Mr. Gaetz resigned his seat in Congress after prematurely ordering boxes of stationery…

Mike Plante struggled with his weight for years, but within six months of starting with the injection drug semaglutide, a medication for diabetes that's also being used for weight-loss, he's down 65 pounds. "I still have an appetite; I just get full quicker," Plante, of South Charleston, said. Instead, he pays nearly $500 a month for the drug through Reflex MD, a company…

Almost 90,000 people— including many Kitsap County patients— are caught in the middle of contract negotiations between hospital system Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and insurance provider United Healthcare. If the companies cannot agree on a new contract by Jan. 1, 2025, all Virginia Mason facilities will be out-of-network for United members, which…

—Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO— although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a new poll. In the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about 8 in 10 U.S. adults said the person who committed the killing has“ a great deal” or“ a…

Dec. 24— Starting in the new year, Independence Blue Cross, the region's largest health insurer, will no longer cover anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy when they're prescribed solely for weight loss. Wegovy, for example, costs as low as $92 a month in the United Kingdom but $1,349 in the United States, NBC reported. The high prices in the United States spurred…

While Connecticut has recovered all the positions that it lost at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, its employment levels have flatlined in recent months. Connecticut's estimated number of payroll jobs last month was only 0.6% higher than a year ago, compared with a nationwide increase of 1.4%, according to data from the state Department of Labor.

While Connecticut has recovered all the positions that it lost at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, its employment levels have flatlined in recent months. Connecticut's estimated number of payroll jobs last month was only 0.6% higher than a year ago, compared with a nationwide increase of 1.4%, according to data from the state Department of Labor.

Unfortunately, in Colorado, there is an increasing need for youth mental health services and a rising percentage of young people are not receiving the help they need. A 2023 study by the Colorado Health Institute found that 22.3% of Coloradans aged 5 to 25 reported poor mental health and 18.6% of young people said they needed mental health care but didn't get it…

While Connecticut has recovered all the positions that it lost at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, its employment levels have flatlined in recent months. Connecticut's estimated number of payroll jobs last month was only 0.6% higher than a year ago, compared with a nationwide increase of 1.4%, according to data from the state Department of Labor.

I suppose it is some sort of indication, as far as the public's attitude towards health insurance companies goes, that when the CEO of United Healthcare was shot down on a sidewalk in Manhattan, the outpouring of sympathy for the victim might better be described as a dry wash. Mr. Gaetz resigned his seat in Congress after prematurely ordering boxes of stationery…