If the television in your doctor’s waiting room isn’t yet mixing paid commercials with educational videos, get ready for the fast-growing form of marketing called “point of care” advertising. It’s just one of several ways that technology companies are helping medical device and drug companies reach patients. In addition, tech companies are also beginning to [...]
Article is by Arielle Levin Becker, from The CT Mirror Lisa Freeman recently tried an experiment: Before having a medical diagnostic test, she tried to figure out what it would cost. “It took no less than five phone calls, and I still never got to the end of the thing,” said Freeman, executive director of [...]
Out-of-pocket costs for pricey new drugs leave even some insured and relatively affluent patients with hard choices on how to afford them Article is by Joseph Walker, from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) BELLEVILLE, Ill.— Jacqueline Racener ’s doctor prescribed a new leukemia drug for her last winter that promised to roll back the cancer [...]
Census Bureau figures show that the percentage of Americans without health insurance fell from 13.3% in 2013 to 10.4% in 2014 – approximately 8.8 million people. At the same time, the average cost of employer sponsored health care coverage rose by about 4% to more than $17,500 this year, from $16,834 last year.
While there is plenty of discussion about the tax on high cost health plans, the tone has changed somewhat since the CBO said the federal government would forfeit over $80 billion if the tax were repealed. One of the big concerns related to the Cadillac Tax is its impact on benefits that help reduce out-of-pocket [...]
Annual comprehensive health assessment events are still very valuable employee engagement tools, with the ability to create “teachable moments” for plan participants and their dependents. Traditional health risk assessments, however, cannot match the dynamic qualities of wearable devices and mobile apps, which now generate and store data about behavioral characteristics such as food consumption, blood [...]
Article seen in CT Viewpoints, written by Tom Swn (CCAG) It is hard to turn on your computer or to check out your evening news without hearing highly paid hospital executives saying that the sky is falling and arguing that they are on the side of consumers. In reviewing the recent filings with state regulators, [...]
Article from Employee Benefit News Commentary: The Affordable Care Act reporting deadlines are rapidly approaching, presenting a major administrative burden for employers who face penalties for failing to report in a timely and accurate manner. While there has been significant discussion of employer roles and responsibilities, employees have been largely left out of the equation. [...]
In America today, nearly one in three adults has high blood pressure, with fewer than half having the disease under control. If you’re an employer wondering why you should care, consider these facts: High blood pressure is one of the 10 most expensive conditions impacting U.S. employers. People with high blood pressure miss up to [...]
Article is by Melanie Evans, from Modern Healthcare Some hospitals and health systems are starting to review and revise their prices to make themselves more attractive to individual consumers who increasingly experience sticker shock when they pay for services out of pocket under high-deductible health plans. Part of that effort involves analyzing how much those [...]
