Idaho’s health plan for state employees, retirees and their dependents is dropping coverage for GLP-1s prescribed for weight loss, effective Nov. 1. The change does not impact GLP-1 coverage for diabetes, the state said Sept. 5. The new policy is…
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A settlement has been finalized in a decadelong lawsuit that claimed Aetna and Optum used misleading billing practices to conceal administrative fees for chiropractic and physical therapy services as medical charges. Chief Judge Martin Reidinger of the federal Western District…
For more than two years, Becker’s has reported on the intensifying trend of Medicare Advantage reimbursement fights between hospitals and insurers that has contributed to a dizzying and ever-changing environment for older adults to navigate each enrollment period. Now, that…
Elevance Health is cutting some Medicare Advantage plans — affecting about 150,000 members next year — and fully exiting standalone Part D plans in 2026. “We made the decision to exit some plans and counties where we did not see…
A group of House Republicans are backing the newly filed Bipartisan Premium Tax Credit Extension Act, which would extend enhanced ACA subsidies for one year beyond their current expiration date at the end of 2025. Under the legislation, the premium…
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CMS’ progress toward expanding its team of medical coders to audit more Medicare Advantage plans is unclear, Bloomberg reported Sept. 5. In May, the agency said it would audit every MA plan for potential overpayments annually, in what was described…
Massachusetts’ Division of Insurance and Department of Public Health has issued a bulletin Sept. 3 requiring insurance carriers to cover vaccines as outlined by the state, not just the CDC. “We won’t let Donald Trump and Robert Kennedy get between…
UCare has asked CMS to mutually terminate its Medicare Advantage plans for 2026, citing rising medical costs and challenges within the broader market. “This decision was not made lightly,” President and CEO Hilary Marden-Resnik said Sept. 4 “UCare remains deeply…
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating CVS Health over reports of the company using confidential patient information to lobby against a bill under consideration by the Louisiana legislature. Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Subcommittee on Federal…
Samaritan Health Plans, the insurance arm of Corvallis, Ore.-based Samaritan Health Services, will exit the Medicare Advantage market in 2026, the Lincoln Chronicle reported Sept. 3. Bruce Butler, CEO of Samaritan Health Plans, told Becker’s in a statement that the…