Payer

Copay caps on prescription drug costs could slow the growth of retirees' expected healthcare costs, a report from Fidelity found. 

The way North Carolina's Medicaid expansion is financed could incentivize hospitals to increase prices, experts wrote in an article published June 21 in Health Affairs. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota said access to peer support specialists will be a covered benefit for fully insured commercial plan members starting in 2024. 

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. is most known for selling cheap prescription drugs directly to consumers through the mail, but those cheap prices have been turned into a benefits solution for health plans.

Administrative costs for Blue Cross Blue Shield plans rose in 2022, according to an analysis from Sherlock Company. 

Georgia's Medicaid work requirement program is set to take effect July 1, and it could serve as a model for other states, Politico reported June 20. 

Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy, has hired a lobbying firm to convince Congress to allow Medicare to cover the drugs for weight loss, Politico reported June 16. 

Aetna is defending a Medicare Advantage plan for retired New York City employees in court, and parent company CVS Health is sparring with Cigna over an executive's noncompete agreement. 

Medicare spending will grow by 8 percent in 2023, driven by higher hospital utilization and enrollment, CMS projects.

Aetna is seeking to defend a contract to provide a Medicare Advantage plan for New York City's retired employees in court, and new research finds overpayments in the program could be larger than previously thought.