The CEOs of most of the nation’s largest health insurers plan to lay blame for rising healthcare costs on hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and specialty providers during testimony before Congress on Jan. 22. In written testimonies submitted ahead of back-to-back hearings…
Policy Updates
President Donald Trump released a sparsely detailed healthcare policy framework Jan. 15 that calls on Congress to codify voluntary drug pricing agreements with major pharmaceutical companies, direct payments to Americans over extending enhanced ACA subsidies, and expand price transparency requirements…
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is the latest state leader to push for prior authorization reform, fleshing out her plan in a Jan. 14 news release. Just one day prior, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had shared her intentions to tackle…
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed several initiatives Jan. 13 that aim to shore up healthcare in New York state. Affordability has been a pressing concern among New Yorkers. In the news release, Ms. Hochul said she will direct the state’s…
A bipartisan group of senators working to revive the ACA enhanced tax credits that expired at the end of 2025 said they won’t have their proposal ready until the end of January, Politico reported Jan. 13. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio,…
Advertisement
Alaska lawmakers passed a sweeping insurance reform bill last year that changes how insurers and pharmacy benefit managers operate in the state, effective Jan. 1. Five notes:
Highmark now covers all diagnostic breast studies and breast MRIs at 100% without copays or deductibles for members of its Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Delaware. The policy was effective Jan. 1 and…
Laws in North Dakota, Nebraska and Alaska focused on accelerating insurer response times for prior authorizations went into effect Jan. 1. North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed the state’s bill in April. The legislation requires plans to decide on nonurgent…
HHS has finalized updated cervical cancer screening guidelines that will require most health insurers to cover self-collection testing and additional screening procedures beginning in 2027. The guidelines were published by the Health Resources and Services Administration on Jan. 5 and…
The New York State Conference of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans voiced affordability concerns over three payer-focused mandates that went into effect Jan. 1. The mandates include first-in-the-nation scalp-cooling coverage for chemotherapy patients, EpiPen out-of-pocket caps and expanded access,…