The Indianapolis-based insurer, which left the program in 2018 after racking up huge losses, is jumping back in under a partnership with three hospital systems covering 45 of Indiana’s 92 counties.
A new report submitted to the Indiana Legislative Council calls for the regulation of “white bagging,” a practice that requires hospitals to buy drugs from an outside pharmacy, which delivers them premixed ahead of time of the patient’s visit. It is a growing practice, aimed at lowering the cost of care, but many providers say it can compromise care.
The group, Hoosiers for Affordable Healthcare, is pushing an amendment that would require most of Indiana’s hospitals to hold annual public meetings to explain their prices, including any price increases, and to take questions about their finances.
Health care practitioners and insurers are fighting over the hefty prices hospitals charge for specialty drugs to treat patients with cancer, vision loss, low white-blood-cell count and other serious diseases.
Three bills advancing through the Indiana General Assembly would provide tighter regulation of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs).
The benefits administrator, DirectPath LLC, offers a variety of technology-driven services for employees and employers.
Paying a half-billion-dollar settlement might seem painful, but health care observers say resulting changes to Blue Cross Blue Shield rules are so favorable to Anthem’s growth prospects that the deal is a huge win.
Carmel-based CNO Financial Group Inc. saw a sharp increase in profit during the third quarter, partly because its customers deferred seeking medical care and, as a result, submitted fewer health insurance claims.
A new study released Friday by the Rand Corp. found that Hoosiers covered by employer health plans paid Indiana hospitals three times what Medicare would have paid for the same procedures, exceeding the national rate of disparity.
Many health insurers are reporting second-quarter earnings double what they were a year ago, as Americans are putting off expensive surgeries and even routine office visits during the pandemic.
The Indianapolis-based health insurer is accused of falsely certifying the accuracy of incorrect diagnosis data from doctors and other health providers over four years.
Indiana doctors are raising fears about possible loss of emergency services under a plan to limit “surprise” bills for patients unknowingly treated by providers from outside their insurance networks.
In recent years, a host of online websites and smartphone apps—such as GoodRx, Blink Health and Script Saver—have popped up to help people find the lowest price for prescription medicines. By using them, consumers can save thousands of dollars a year on their prescriptions if they don’t mind shopping around and buying some of their drugs outside their insurance plans.
The Indianapolis-based health care insurer’s earnings more than doubled, to $934 million, in the fourth quarter, compared with $424 million in the same quarter of 2018.
The measures are largely focused on ending surprise billing for patients, creating an all-payer claims database and requiring health care providers to give patients costs estimates in advance.
A federal appeals court on Wednesday struck down Obamacare’s now-toothless requirement that Americans carry health insurance, but sidestepped a ruling on the law’s overall constitutionality. The decision means the law remains in effect for now.
The legislation has no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate, and the White House has issued a veto threat. Still, Democrats saw a victory in the message their bill sends to voters.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said Tuesday that he wants the state to impose a hands-free-driving law in 2020. The proposal, which would prohibit the use of mobile phones while operating a motor vehicle, is part of the Republican governor’s 2020 legislative agenda.
Indiana currently ranks highest in prices paid to hospitals by private health insurance plans, according to The Journal Gazette, but the problem is not the actual cost or charge of a procedure—it’s what individuals ultimately pay after insurance.
Indiana had a higher percentage of people lacking medical insurance than any neighboring state in 2018, but its rate was better than the national average.
