House speaker, ex-health chairman clash over demotion
The former chairman of the Indiana House health committee blames his removal from the position on his policy differences with fellow Republicans, a claim the GOP House speaker disputes.
Health Care & Life Sciences
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With health insurance coverage pricey, firms adopt 401(k)-like plans
Health insurance brokers in Indianapolis and across the country are increasingly helping companies, especially small ones, move from traditional employer-sponsored health benefits to what they call an individual strategy.
Obamacare official makes tweaks as insurer complaints grow
To reduce turbulence in Obamacare’s fledgling insurance markets, the Obama administration’s top health official is pushing to get more information to consumers about what they’ll actually pay for health care.
Looks like business growth is slowing down at Indiana hospitals
Profits and patient visits remain strong at Community Health Network and Indiana University Health, but their Obamacare-fueled growth is decelerating.
Experts see big premium increases for Medicare drug plan
With time running out on open-enrollment season, many seniors are facing sharply higher costs for Medicare's popular prescription drug program after a long stretch of stable premiums.
Pfizer-Allergan $160B deal forms world’s largest drugmaker
It's also the largest so-called inversion, where an American corporation combines with a company headquartered in a country with a lower corporate tax rate, saving potentially millions each year in U.S. taxes.
Anthem, Aetna try to reassure investors about exchanges
Two of the nation's three largest health insurers are trying to ease investor and customer concerns a day after their biggest competitor questioned its future on the Affordable Care Act's public insurance exchanges.
Obamacare’s fate may rest on patience of Anthem, Aetna
Anthem Inc. and Aetna Inc. are on the hot seat now that UnitedHealth Group Inc. appears unlikely to linger as a seller on the Affordable Care Act’s government-run markets.
Midwest employers are actually spending less on health benefits
New data show that employers trying to duck the Obamacare Cadillac tax and turn their workers into healthier consumers are starting to actually reduce the amount of money per worker they are spending on health benefits.
Dennis Murphy brings ‘a priestly demeanor’ to top job at IU Health
Murphy will become CEO of IU Health in April. Those who know him say Murphy’s early experiences with family, church and medicine make him exceptionally well-suited to a complex hospital system in swiftly changing times.
Federal grant to help integrate primary care, mental health
Centerstone, which provides mental health services across southern Indiana, received $1.6 million to integrate primary care and mental health in Bloomington and surrounding Monroe County.
UnitedHealth may quit Obamacare market in blow to health law
Insurer UnitedHealth Group, which has 28,000 Obamacare customers in Indiana, said it might quit selling plans under the Affordable Care Act. Thursday’s announcement took a toll on health insurance stocks, including Anthem’s.
U.S. doctors group calls for drug advertising ban
In a vote Tuesday, the American Medical Association called for an end to television commercials and magazine spreads that are used to pitch prescription drugs directly to consumers.
Despite wealth of attention, new female libido pill isn’t selling
The number of prescriptions for Addyi, the women’s libido-boosting pill, in its first few weeks? 227.
Heft not enough to justify insurer deals, top DOJ lawyer says
Assistant Attorney General William Baer said that consumer choice is a bigger priority than health companies’ desire to add market share and gain leverage over providers like hospitals.
Contract calls for anti-abortion group to line up counseling
Real Alternatives will act as a middleman, signing up service providers to "enable pregnant women in Indiana to maintain pregnancy and achieve positive healthy pregnancy outcomes through provision of pregnancy support services and referrals to care."
FBI probe puts private Jackson family in spotlight
The family's American Senior Communities is the dominant nursing home company in Indiana, with 94 long-term care facilities.
SMARTT: Health disparities among Amos’ many causes
Before his untimely death, Amos Brown used his media pulpit to raise awareness among minority populations about their elevated risks of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Indy lawyers lead D.C. coalition chipping away at health care regulations
With regulations on the rise and 25 percent of health care spending going toward administration, lawyers at Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman are taking aim at some of the most pain-inducing pieces of federal anti-kickback statutes.
Doctor group asks regulators to block health insurer mergers
Anthem Inc. shouldn’t be permitted to buy Cigna Corp. and Aetna Inc. should be blocked from acquiring Humana Inc., the American Medical Association said in a letter Wednesday to the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division.