UPDATE: Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0 gets federal approval
Federal officials have approved Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s plan to provide health insurance to lower-income Hoosiers, despite provisions that require some participants to pay part of the premium.
Health Care & Life Sciences
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Health VC dollars tripled in Indiana
Indiana’s health care companies attracted $103.8 million in investments last year, the highest total since attracting 2007. However, all but $3 million of last year’s investments came during the first six months of the year and Indiana continued to lag other Midwest states.
The Billion Dollar Decision
When the U.S. Supreme Court hands down its ruling on Obamacare’s tax credits, it could zap nearly $1 billion from Hoosiers’ finances. In fact, Hoosiers buyers on Obamacare’s exchanges have more to lose, as a percentage of their incomes, than the residents of all states other than Alaska and Mississippi.
Meth bills mandating cold-pill prescriptions face tough road
Bills aiming to reduce Indiana’s methamphetamine problem by requiring prescriptions for some cold medicines probably won’t be considered in House or Senate committees this session, key lawmakers said.
IU Health on course to spare Methodist, close University
All signs point to University Hospital’s being shuttered as Indiana University Health goes from three downtown hospitals to two.
Bills filed that would allow medical marijuana in Indiana
Two Democratic lawmakers have filed bills that would allow the use of medical marijuana in Indiana, although neither measure is likely to advance in the Republican-controlled Legislature.
CEO Roundup: We’re not your father’s health care company anymore
The CEOs of Anthem, Lilly, Zimmer and Hill-Rom tried to woo investors at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference by stressing how they’re broadening business beyond plain-old insurance, pharmaceuticals, implants and hospital beds.
We’re at tipping point of health care becoming a real marketplace
Nearly half of all Hoosier workers covered by employer health plans are now enrolled in high-deductible, consumer-directed health plans, according to a new survey. That means the state is about to pass the point of no return on transforming health care into a real marketplace.
Lilly sees insurers pushing harder for discounts
Health-coverage managers are becoming more aggressive in demanding discounts and exclusive deals from drugmakers to drive down the cost of medicine, Eli Lilly and Co.’s diabetes business chief says.
UPDATE: Lilly says it couldn’t have made tainted Cialis
A batch of Cialis pills, purportedly made at a plant in Australia, was banned by the FDA from entering the U.S. after the pills were found to contain the active ingredient for rival drug Viagra. Cialis manufacturer Eli Lilly said it doesn’t make any drugs in Australia.
Obamacare’s effects on Lilly: Modest pain, no gain
Since Obamcare was expected to boost insurance coverage nationally by 32 million people, drugmakers like Eli Lilly and Co. stood to benefit. But it’s not working out that way. At least not for Lilly.
UPDATE: Lilly forecasts earnings below analyst expectations
The Indianapolis-based drugmaker said its long-term strategy is on track, but predicted sales this year would be $20.3 billion to $20.8 billion, a shade below what Wall Street was expecting.
CVS to close local nutrition center with 124 workers
A division of CVS Pharmacy Inc. said it would consolidate work done at the facility to locations in Littleton, Colorado, and Jackson, Tennessee.
Hoosier hospitals create new tool to help health care shoppers
Recognizing that more and more Hoosier patients are trying to shop for health care, the Indiana Hospital Association has created a web tool with price and quality information for all hospitals around the state. But bigger changes to the health care system will be needed before consumers have the kind of information they expect in other industries.
Obamacare fees for uninsured kick in with 2014 taxes
Roughly 4 million uninsured people are expected to pay penalties, and 26 million could qualify for exemptions from a list of more than 30 waivers.
2 IU scientists study marijuana’s impact on brain
The research is taking place as marijuana is gaining more acceptance in some parts of the nation, with pot now legalized for adult use in Colorado, Washington state, Alaska and Oregon.
Study: Nursing home building boom is costing state millions
The state Medicaid program will pay $24 million more due to the nursing home building boom that occurred in 2014, according to an analysis by accounting firm Myers & Stauffer. The nursing home industry will use that figure to once again argue for halt to new construction.
Lilly to sell heartworm line for Novartis deal approval
Eli Lilly and Co. wants to combine Novartis with its own animal health business, Elanco, to create the second-largest animal health company in the U.S.
Obamacare brings boost to WellPoint
WellPoint’s stock price rose 53 percent from Sept. 30, 2013—the day before the Obamacare insurance exchanges started up—until Dec. 19, 2014, when the price closed at $127.95.
2014 NEWSMAKER: Zeke Turner
Zeke Turner, CEO of Carmel-based Mainstreet, stepped up expansion after he beat back a legislative push by nursing home companies to place a moratorium on new construction.