Core and Group Health

In a recent speech, President Biden overstated the average monthly cost that patients were paying prior to the Inflation Reduction Act: The out-of-pocket cost for insulin was $58 for a 30-day supply, says a HHS report.

Novo Nordisk's list price for a monthly package of Ozempic is $935.77 before insurance and other rebates, yet it can be manufactured for between $0.89 to $4.73 a month, according to researchers at Yale University.

Increasingly, health system consolidations, which must balance short-term and long-term financial goals, are focused on value-based care, which promotes better care for patients and improved health outcomes at reduced prices.

The Biden administration has announced that it has finalized a new regulation that curbs the use of short-term health insurance plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act, limiting the plans to 90 days.

The feds face a year-end deadline to solidify or scuttle payment changes for telehealth services that allow people to "visit" a doctor in their homes, however, it's expected that Congress will "kick the can" past the November election.

"Employers can reduce benefits expenses while simultaneously boosting employee engagement by implementing cost-effective and impactful benefits strategies," says Leia Spoor, clinical director of employee benefits of Holmes Murphy.

Employers may be hearing rumblings that it's time to move on from the legacy PBMs in light of government inquiry and an employee-brought lawsuit. Here's how to know when it's time to move on—and what to look for in a new pharmacy benefits solution.  

More patients are losing their doctors — and trust in the primary care system, according to American Medical Association's president, Jesse Ehrenfeld.