Health Care Reform

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Bernie Sanders has announced that a new primary care bill has advanced in committee, which will increase funding for several key health care programs in rural areas.

The first phase of this effort is focused on data sharing in order to ensure that physician practices are able to stay independent and deliver higher quality care, said the three health care organizations.

A newer digital health model is bridging the gap between 100% virtual programs and on-call doctors by utilizing dedicated care teams who work one-on-one with individuals on an ongoing basis via chat, phone or video.

PBM lobby PCMA and drugmaker lobby PhRMA testified at a House Oversight Committee hearing last week, often pinning the blame for drug costs on each other, while bipartisan lawmakers agreed both were to blame.

The report found that the overall satisfaction with PBMs among respondents was at 7.6 on a 1-10 scale.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is developing rules to bar unpaid medical bills from affecting patients' credit scores, however, industry leaders are questioning why medical providers are being singled out in their billing.