Cost-Containment

The purchase of medical goods and services by employer health plans resembles no other business transaction in American commerce.

The New York-based insurer intends to enter the Medicare Advantage space in 2020, as well as to expand its presence in the individual and small business markets.

While benefits managers understand the importance of behavioral health care, there are very real barriers that prevent employees from getting the treatment they need.

“We are jointly committed to removing barriers for the adoption of technologies for health care interoperability," the companies said in a joint statement.

The 12 percent of the U.S. population that is foreign-born only accounts for 8.6 percent of health care spending, according to a recent study.

As our population ages and medicine gets better, we are dealing with more chronic disease than ever before — and it is a huge cost driver in overall medical spend.