No 1,000-percent markups at Indy’s hospitals
But hospitals’ list prices in Indiana are more than three times what the federal Medicare program pays.
Health Care & Life Sciences
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Congressional GOP plans to continue health law subsidies
Congressional Republicans will move to temporarily continue health care subsidies for millions of people if the Supreme Court overturns the aid, according to plans discussed Wednesday in the House and Senate.
Cook Group President Hawkins plans retirement
Kem Hawkins, who has been president of Cook Group Inc. since 2001, will retire on July 1. He will be replaced by Pete Yonkman, who since 2013 has been president of Cook Medical, the Cook subsidiary that makes medical devices.
Hill-Rom to acquire medical supplies firm for $2 billion
The acquisition lets Hill-Rom, a maker of hospital supplies for wound care and respiratory health, delve further into the market for diagnostic supplies for physicians and emergency responders
Potential deal drama heats up among five health insurers
The biggest U.S. providers—UnitedHealth Group Inc., Anthem Inc., Aetna Inc., Cigna Corp. and Humana Inc.—are all looking at possible combinations. Indianapolis-based Anthem is considering a takeover of Cigna or Humana, a person familiar with the matter said.
Buying Cigna would give 60 percent of Hoosier health insurance market to Anthem
If Anthem merged with Cigna Corp. it would create a behemoth with even greater negotiating power, which could benefit employers but hurt doctors and hospitals.
Report: Anthem makes $45B takeover bid for Cigna
Anthem Inc. has made a buyout offer to rival health insurer Cigna Corp. for $45 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. That price would make the deal the largest health insurance merger in U.S. history.
Startup aims to upend diabetes care with matchstick-size implant
Intarcia Therapeutics Inc. is betting its matchstick-size pump could take market share from Eli Lilly and Co., AstraZeneca Plc and Novo Nordisk A/S.
Target selling pharmacy, clinic businesses to CVS Health
Target Corp. has agreed to sell its pharmacy and clinic businesses to the drugstore chain CVS Health Corp. for about $1.9 billion in a deal that combines the resources of two retailers seeking to polish their health care reputations.
If Supremes gut Obamacare’s tax credits, the fixes are easy. But the politics are hard.
The Obama administration could write a new regulation. Congress could pass a short law. States could run a low-cost exchange. But the politics might require all parties to let the tax credits die while they try to pin the blame on the other side.
Biotech with unproven Alzheimer’s drug now worth billions
Axovant Sciences Ltd., a company without a finished product or a dime of sales, has an almost $3 billion valuation after its public-market debut. The IPO shows the staggering potential for any company that can develop a successful Alzheimer’s treatment.
Unfair labor charges against IU Health to get hearing
The National Labor Relations Board declined to dismiss charges that IU Health broke the law by firing one nurse and disciplining another who were involved in trying to form a union at Methodist Hospital.
Indy native who beat Ebola wins prestigious award
Dr. Kent Brantly was awarded the Dr. Nathan Davis International Award in Medicine from the American Medical Association for his service in Liberia during last summer’s Ebola outbreak.
Anti-smoking dollars shrink as cigarette problem persists
Progress in reducing smoking is undeniable, but money to accelerate the decline is falling even faster.
Walgreens, insurers push expansion of virtual doctor visits
Millions of people will be able to see a doctor on their smartphones or laptops for everyday ailments once the nation's largest drugstore chain and two major insurers expand a budding push into virtual health care.
Indiana medical software company says networks hacked
A medical software company is notifying patients of the health care providers it serves—including Franciscan St. Francis Health in Indianapolis—that their private information may have been exposed when its networks were hacked.
Speculation grows over possible Humana acquisition
Humana Inc. has pulled out of a major health care conference and said it will not comment on rumors of a merger, actions that will likely fuel Wall Street speculation that the insurer is part of a developing deal. Anthem Inc. is a possible suitor.
Fate of Eli Lilly’s potential $2B blockbuster insulin hangs on side effects
Lilly’s basal insulin peglispro proved more effective than the $7 billion blockbuster Lantus at controlling diabetics’ blood sugar, but it also had greater effect on patients’ livers and hearts. Analysts are unsure of its future.
Lilly to launch Lantus biosimilar in Europe in third quarter
Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. plans to introduce its version of Sanofi’s Lantus insulin for diabetes in Europe in the third quarter, said Enrique Conterno, the president of Lilly Diabetes.
Indy Chamber starts new benefits plan for small firms
The organization has come up with a new way to help its small-business members while giving them a better deal on employee benefits.