Carmel-based CNO acquires employee benefits administrator for $50M
The benefits administrator, DirectPath LLC, offers a variety of technology-driven services for employees and employers.
Health Insurance
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Anthem paying $594M to settle antitrust litigation, but deal terms might fuel growth
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 sees profit soar in third quarter
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.
Study: Indiana ranks sixth in nation in hospital charge disparities
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.
Record profits for Anthem, other health insurers, raise hackles
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.
Justice Department suit alleges Anthem overbilled in its popular Medicare Advantage plans
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.
Some doctors worried by Indiana ‘surprise’ billing proposal
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.
Frustrated health consumers turn to apps, websites to find lowest drug prices
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.
Anthem sees big jump in quarterly profit, but misses analyst expectations
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.
Lawmakers push health care cost-saving, price-transparency bills forward
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.
Court: Part of Obamacare invalid, more review needed
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.
House passes bill to empower Medicare to negotiate drug costs
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.
Holcomb hopes to ban mobile-device use while driving as part of 2020 agenda
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 lawmakers looking at state’s high health care costs
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 medical insurance coverage lags surrounding states
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.
Surprise! Your anesthesiologist was out of network. Now you owe big.
Every day, thousands of Americans get a surprise bill in the mail from a health provider, asking for thousands of dollars for medical services that weren’t covered by the patient’s insurance.
Workers feel sting from shift to high-deductible health coverage
Nearly half of Americans with private insurance—47%—are covered by high-deductible plans, up from 25% in 2010. That’s driven up out-of-pocket health spending among people with employer coverage—from $493 in 2007 to $792 in 2017.
Anthem stock takes hit despite positive quarterly earnings report
Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. topped second quarter expectations and raised its 2019 forecast again. The health insurer also said Wednesday that the start of its new pharmacy benefit manager is going better than expected.
Filling Anthem space on Circle ‘not going to happen overnight’
Little progress has been made in replacing Anthem Inc. in the Monument Circle building that, until the end of last year, served as headquarters for the Indianapolis-based health insurance giant.
Battered insurer MDwise readies for turnaround
The CEO who took charge last summer of the Indianapolis company that provides health insurance, food, career help and other services to low-income people acknowledges he has a big job ahead.