On March 11th, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) can pay first dollar coverage for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)-related testing and treatment, without jeopardizing their status. The IRS is taking these steps due to the nature of this public health emergency, and to avoid administrative delays or financial disincentives that […]
Those in the stop loss market have heard the phrase “leveraged trend” when discussing renewal calculations with your stop loss carrier. While few understand how this works, all have seen its’ significant impact on your clients’ stop loss renewals. What is leveraged trend? How is it calculated? And more importantly, what can you do to […]
You’ve made the decision to convert your health insurance benefit plan from an insured arrangement to a self-funded arrangement. Under your insured arrangement your carrier offered you a pool point that you had little or no control over and may have represented more or less risk than you are willing to take on under a […]
It is estimated over 75,000 people worldwide have been infected with the coronavirus, with death figures approaching 2800 people. The fear of this potentially deadly virus has employers beginning to take steps to protect their employees. Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common […]
On January 31st, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Palforzia to reduce the risk of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, that may occur with accidental exposure to peanuts. Peanut allergy is a condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies small amounts of peanut as harmful. When this occurs individuals may experience […]
Starting January 1st, over 550 medications increased their price a median 5% according to a report by 3 Axis Advisors. More price increases are expected over the next few weeks. Many drug manufactures have pledged to not increase medication prices above 10% a year due to increasing public scrutiny. Manufacturers increasing prices include Pfizer (90 […]
On December 17, 2019, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed guidance for the importation of medications from Canada. The goal of this proposal is to allow patients access to FDA approved medications from abroad at a lower cost. The guidance would allow states, wholesalers, and pharmacies to come up with proposals for safe importation […]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released two sets of regulations that would make health care costs publicly available. These regulations could significantly shake up the health care space making it easier for employers to design health benefits to steer employees toward hospitals with high value services. The first regulation (found HERE) […]
On November 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Adakveo®, a treatment to reduce the frequency of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) in patients with sickle cell disease. These severe events are unpredictable and can cause life-threatening complications. Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder in which the red blood cells are abnormally shaped […]
A recent article by the Wall Street Journal explores the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), and how payers are beginning to use this organization’s model to make medication coverage decisions. ICER has no political ties, which allows it to provide an independent examination on the price of drugs. ICER uses a model which […]
