Employers are grappling with benefits costs, which have spiked nearly 8%, the steepest annual increase in more than 10 years when excluding pandemic-era fluctuations, according to Milliman’s 2026 Medical Index. The average American with an employer-sponsored health plan is projected…
Research & Analysis
Employers’ benefits teams are playing catch-up when it comes to AI, but they plan to embrace the technology more in the coming years, according to a May 19 survey from risk-management services provider WTW. WTW’s “2026 AI Use in Health…
Medicaid recipients who received hospital-at-home care in Massachusetts had strong outcomes, a new study found. Here are eight things to know from the May study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: 1. Researchers studied 906 acute hospital care…
Between 2014 and 2022, payments to Medicare Advantage brokers grew from $3.9 billion to $10.1 billion per year, according to a research letter published May 18 in JAMA Internal Medicine. Scholars with the Brown University School of Public Health in…
Older adults are interested in using digital tools to manage their healthcare but often lack the technological wherewithal to do so, CVS Health found. Here are four things to know from CVS’ May 18 research report, which included ethnographic studies,…
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After a single session with a Humana phone-based program, inhaler misuse among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease dropped from 39.4% to 6.9%, according to a study. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation published the…
In 2022, UnitedHealthcare’s total cost of care — based on commercial large group PPO health plan claim costs — was 13.9% lower than the MarketScan benchmark, according to a March Milliman report commissioned by the insurer. Nationwide, the total cost…
California’s uninsured population could double by 2030, according to a May 4 report from the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office, which is responsible for nonpartisan fiscal and policy advising. HR 1’s provisions — including work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks…
Eighty-four percent of health plan leaders believe Medicaid eligibility checks could cause, at minimum, moderate disruption in maternal care continuity, according to a May 5 report from healthcare consultancy Sage Growth Partners. Within that group, 14% expect major disruption. The…
CenterWell — Humana’s healthcare services branch for older adults — introduced its fulfillment index, a measure to evaluate well-being as individuals age, according to an April 20 news release. CenterWell fulfillment index study data determined 54% of adults over age…