High prescription drug costs and pharmacies going out of business, especially in rural Iowa, have once again put pharmacy benefit managers— the companies that function as intermediaries between insurance providers and drug manufacturers— under the legislative microscope. After passing some regulations in 2024, Iowa state lawmakers are this year once…
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*Please include vendor name in photo caption. 15 Olives: Award-winning extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegars. Accessory Obsession: Sterling silver- and gold-filled jewelry.
SEVIERVILLE— Potential cuts to Medicaid could affect Tenncare in Tennessee and Sevier County, but so far officials are taking a wait-and-see approach as Congress considers cuts to the federal budget. As a response to the Trump administration's plans to cut federal spending, House Republicans asked the Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion from…
The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 19, 2025:. President of Insurance Brokerage Firm and CEO of Marketing Company Charged in $161 M Affordable Care Act Enrollment Fraud Scheme. An indictment was unsealed today charging Cory Lloyd, 46, of Stuart, Florida, and Steven Strong, 42, of Mansfield, Texas, in connection with their alleged…
Ryan Mishler, the chief budget architect for Senate Republicans, pitched Senate Bill 2 as one to "right size" Medicaid, which is the fastest-growing portion of the state budget. Senate Democrats universally opposed the measure, which moved to the House on a 40-9 vote. Fady Qaddoura, D- Indianapolis, said the bill would limit the number of qualified Hoosiers who might…
Under the House Ways and Means proposal, those on the health plan will see their health insurance rates go up by $36.76 a month, or roughly $441 a year. The House budget proposal includes a roughly $200 million tax cut by reducing the highest income tax rate from 6.2% to 6%, reducing how much money lawmakers would have to spend. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D- Orangeburg, a…
Ryan Mishler, the chief budget architect for Senate Republicans, pitched Senate Bill 2 as one to "right size" Medicaid, which is the fastest-growing portion of the state budget. Senate Democrats universally opposed the measure, which moved to the House on a 40-9 vote. Fady Qaddoura, D- Indianapolis, said the bill would limit the number of qualified Hoosiers who might…
Health agents ‘optimistic’ as a new administration takes charge
The National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals will gather next week for its annual Capitol Conference, with a long list of issues its members will discuss with their representatives in Congress.
Mehmet Oz, Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, pledged to divest his investments in hospitals and insurers if confirmed to lead the agency, he said in a filing with the Office of Government Ethics. Why it matters: As CMS chief, Oz — better known as Dr. Oz — would oversee the largest health care purchasers in the U.S. that do business with and…
LTCi market maturing as more prospects need it
The long-term care insurance market in 2025 is maturing and robust but still needs a large amount of sales to help meet the need that is out there.
Prudential Financial launched OneLeave, adding new absence and disability capabilities to help address the challenges of workplace leaves and the disruption it can create for both employers and employees.
Navigator program winds down – and that’s a good thing
Navigator program funding has been cut by $90 million. Here’s why I think that’s a good thing.
Health insurers operating in North Carolina are required under several laws enacted over decades to provide a variety of medical benefits and coverages. Since 2001, a state law has required the coverage of colorectal cancer screening for every covered individual over 50 and all those under 50 who are determined to be a high risk for the disease.
Medicaid, the government program that covers health care for nearly a million Connecticut residents, has become a focus of controversy both in Hartford and Washington, D.C., this winter as costs continue to grow. Care for Medicaid patients cost $9.8 billion in Connecticut in 2024, according to health data site KFF, with the federal government paying for about…
2025 FEB 17– By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at NewsRx COVID-19 Daily– Current study results on Coronavirus- COVID-19 have been published. Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health,“ Main avoidance reasons were users avoiding contact with other users, families avoiding contact with…
Feb. 14— HARTFORD— This week, the CEO of CVS Health expressed confidence that the company would turn around its embattled health-insurance business, the Hartford- based Aetna. CVS' reputation in Connecticut has been dented by its elimination in the past year and a half of more than 1,000 jobs connected to its offices in Hartford, including several hundred…
A West Linn house used as the home office of a physician who helped established one of the first prepaid health plans in the nation during the Great Depression has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. McLean’ s home office, a well-preserved room on the second floor, best represents the origins of the Physicians' Association of Clackamas County,…
Medicaid on the chopping block as Republicans release budget draft
House Republicans proposed slashing Medicaid as a way to pay for federal budget cuts that would fund a GOP agenda that includes tax cuts, border security and energy production.
SUITLAND, Md.— At a SuperSuds Laundromat just south of Washington, D.C., a steady stream of customers loaded clothes into washers and dryers on a recent Sunday morning, passing the time on their phones or watching television. Amid the low hum of spinning clothes, Adrienne Jones made the rounds in a bright yellow sweatshirt, asking customers about their health needs.
With Englewood "s Planned Parenthood clinic set to shut its doors late next month, Cook County officials hope to figure out how to save the South Side center, which serves thousands of patients seeking reproductive care. The increase in patients,“ coupled with low reimbursement rates from insurers and rising costs of providing care,” helped contribute to the…
