America’s Health Insurance Plans, a national trade association whose member companies provide insurance coverage and health-related services to consumers and businesses, has released a study revealing the breakdown of today’s healthcare premium dollar, as follows: 23.3 cents of every premium dollar is used for prescription drugs 22.2 cents cover the cost of physician services 20.2 [...]
A recent IRS proposal would enable workers to use ordinary health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) to pay for direct primary care program memberships. In addition to giving workers the peace of mind in knowing they can fix the costs of primary care, the proposal would help primary care doctors reduce the time and money they spend [...]
When President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law in mid-March, employers with fewer than 500 employees became responsible for providing paid leave to certain employees through Dec. 31, 2020. The benefit extends to employees unable to work or telework due to the need for leave to care for a son or [...]
Uninsured people needing medical treatment for the coronavirus will be able to get that treatment without concerns about out-of-pocket costs or unexpected charges. Thanks to the federal stimulus package passed by Congress in early April, hospitals and healthcare providers that treat these folks will be paid for unreimbursed care at current Medicare rates. While the [...]
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that annual premiums for employer-based, family coverage increased to $20,576 in 2019. This represents a one year increase of about 5 percent and a pattern of similar increases each year throughout the past decade, significantly outpacing the rate of annual inflation over the same period.
Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults live with a mental illness. Since it has become virtually impossible to avoid a condition at work, here are some of the factors involved. First, professionals tell us that multiple cycles can impact health and productivity in different ways. Conditions can trigger at any time and while early symptoms [...]
A recent survey by a data analytics firm found that benefits objectives often vary based on company size. Results showed that while smaller companies were focused on increasing employee productivity, mid-range employers were more concerned with employee satisfaction levels. Very large employers identified employee health and well-being as their main objective. One interesting finding was [...]
Record numbers of generic drugs that could provide much needed relief for Americans with serious medical conditions are failing to come to market because of litigation and the filing of additional patents by brand-name drug manufacturers. The number of generic approvals has set records during each of the past 3 years. In fact, the FDA [...]
If Florida House Bill HB59 becomes law, Floridians will be able to use video conferencing technology to speak with a pharmacist and obtain prescription drugs dispensed by automated pharmacy systems or vending machines. The systems, manufactured by Canadian company MedAvail, are currently in use in hospitals located in Jacksonville and Miami, Florida. [...]
This article was published on March 25, 2020 BenefitsPro.com, written by Katie Kuehner-Hebert. Photo source BenefitsPro.com. Covered California's actuarial/policy brief recommends that Congress consider three actions now to mitigate impact. Congress needs to mitigate what could be substantial cost increases for both insurers and their members due to the COVID-19 pandemic, warns Covered California, the [...]
