Cost-Containment

Alaska is the state with the highest median allowed amount for vaginal deliveries: $30,585.

The inflation-adjusted total may have fallen more than 35% between 2015 and 2025.

Provisions could expand employer access to plan data, create a new coverage purchasing option, and soup up health savings accounts.

New West Health–Gallup data show fewer than half of Americans can consistently afford care and prescriptions, with widening disparities across income, age, and racial groups.

"By taking a realistic look at your health status and health care expenses as part of your overall retirement plan and budgeting accordingly, you position yourself to enjoy a less stressful, financially healthier retirement," the report said.

Too often, Ben Link says, the plan's actual value depends on what the PBM does to the parameters.