Anthem takes harder line on ER visits
Starting Oct. 1, Anthem said, it could deny claims for hundreds of non-emergency diagnosis codes, such as bruises, rashes, minor burns, swimmer’s ear and athlete’s foot.
Health Care & Insurance
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Congress passes bill to fund FDA drug, medical device reviews
Drug and medical device makers would pay higher user fees under legislation the U.S. Senate approved and sent to the president on Thursday.
Lilly, other drug giants hunt for patients in India’s remote corners
Global pharmaceutical companies including Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. are heading into smaller cities and rural areas to learn about the health care needs of about 70 percent of India’s population.
Five Seasons sports club in Carmel to close in September
Company officials say the closure will be permanent and cost 84 employees their jobs. The decision comes a year after the owner of the club filed a request to rezone the property to allow for possible redevelopment.
Kindred hospital to get new name under venture with Community
The transitional care hospital, which has lost money in two of the past three years, will reopen next year as Community Rehabilitation Hospital South.
Trump drug commission calls for emergency declaration
President Donald Trump's drug commission has called on him to declare a national emergency to deal with the country's opioid drug epidemic.
White House: Trump to decide soon on ending health payments
The White House is insisting that the Senate resume efforts to repeal and replace the nation’s health care law, signaling that President Donald Trump stands ready to end required payments to insurers this week to let “Obamacare implode” and force congressional action.
FDA looks to cut cigarette nicotine in blow to tobacco industry
The surprise move sent shares of cigarette stocks plummeting Friday morning.
Flat-fee payment model bypasses traditional health insurance
Without dozens of insurance claims to file and follow up, physicians cut administrative overhead, reduce costs and keep their practices limited to a few hundred patients, rather than a few thousand.
Senate blocks GOP health bill, scuttling latest bid to repeal Obamacare
Republican Senator John McCain joined with two of his GOP colleagues to block a stripped-down Obamacare repeal bill early Friday, thwarting the party’s months-long effort to pass health legislation.
Holcomb not ruling out tax increase if GOP cuts Medicaid
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is not ruling out a tax increase should congressional Republican efforts to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law result in cuts to Medicaid, which funds the state's HIP 2.0 program.
Insurance agencies agree to merger
The two firms that are merging, Brownsburg-based Hometown Insurance and Zionsville-based Ward Insurance Services, have a combined 16 employees.
CNO Financial reports improved quarterly earnings, revenue
The Carmel-based insurance holding company said total collected premiums were $925 million in the latest quarter, up 7 percent from last year’s second period.
Jury rules against ex-WellPoint exec in lawsuit over firing
A Marion County jury deliberated less than an hour before issuing verdicts in a long-running lawsuit by Dr. Randall C. Axelrod, who was removed as vice president of health care management for WellPoint’s Virginia-based east region in July 2006.
Anthem may hasten Obamacare retreat without funding assurances
Concerned by the uncertain future of U.S. health care policy, Anthem Inc. warned it may hasten its retreat from Obamacare’s insurance marketplaces.
Anthem tops forecasts with quarterly earnings, raises outlook
Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. saw profit grow nearly 10 percent, helped by government business and coverage the health insurer sells to smaller employers.
Lilly reports 35 percent profit surge, but says key drug might require new clinical trial
The Indianapolis-based drugmaker warned that a much-anticipated new drug for rheumatoid arthritis might be delayed another 18 months.
Holcomb urges U.S. Senate to repeal, replace Obamacare
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb says the law is “crumbling under its own weight” and that people in as many as 60 Indiana counties will be left with just one choice for insurance coverage on the marketplace next year.
Lilly to pay up to $400M to buy rights for early-stage immune drug
The deal is Eli Lilly and Co.’s latest push into a growing disease area for such disorders as arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis.
Trump administration opts not to renew health law help in 18 cities
President Donald Trump’s administration has decided not to renew Affordable Care Act contracts that brought assistance into libraries, businesses and urban neighborhoods in 18 cities, including Indianapolis.