Tea Leaves: January 4, 2024: Payers

by | Mar 11, 2024 | Payers, Tea Leaves

Health insurance companies are expanding their coverage of bariatric surgery amid rising demand for pricey new weight loss drugs. Geisinger Health Plan and Blue Cross and Blue Shield carriers in Massachusetts, Michigan, and Vermont are among those easing access to...

Tea Leaves: January 4, 2024: M&A

by | Mar 11, 2024 | M&A, Tea Leaves

Cigna is in exclusive talks to sell its Medicare Advantage (MA) portfolio to Health Care Service Corp. (HCSC) at a price of up to $4 billion. Should there be a deal, it would mark a major expansion for HCSC, a big nonprofit health insurer that is the parent of Blue...

Tea Leaves: January 3, 2024: Payers

by | Mar 11, 2024 | Payers, Tea Leaves

According to a recent study, Medicare Part D overpays for certain over-the-counter (OTC) drugs that are covered when prescribed by a doctor. In addition, these higher costs filtered down to beneficiaries, and in some cases, their cost-sharing was also higher....

Tea Leaves: January 3, 2024: Health IT

by | Mar 11, 2024 | Health IT, Tea Leaves

Researchers found that ChatGPT incorrectly diagnosed over 8 in 10 selected pediatric case studies, raising questions about some bots’ suitability for helping doctors size up complex conditions. The chatbot misdiagnosed 72 of 100 cases selected and delivered too...