Consumer Driven Health Care

The demand for behavioral health has skyrocketed since the pandemic, but 32% of patients do not get the type of visit they want – and many say their clinician doesn't consider their preference, according to a RAND study.

While less than half of large employers currently cover the new generation of obesity drugs, an additional 18% say they're considering adding them amid surging interest, according to findings from Mercer.

Artificial intelligence could reduce clinicians' administrative work and accelerate drug innovation, but the new technology needs oversight, said lawmakers, who met last week to discuss benefits as well as possible threats of AI.

Of the $3 trillion spent each year on health care in the U.S., 10% to 30% consists of so-called "low-value care" – when doctors order unnecessary X-rays, EKGs, lab tests and antibiotics, according to multiple estimates.

Spending on primary care fell from an average of 6.2% in 2013 to 4.6% in 2020.

The comprehensive new bill, which advanced on Wednesday, would introduce more transparency, such as requiring pharmacies to report medication costs – and would be paired with another PBM bill that passed earlier this year.