Thursday, November 18, 2021: Payers

The Biden administration released an interim final rule that will require health insurers and employers to report a plethora of drug data to the federal government. Insurers would need to disclose the 50 most expensive drugs they cover and the 25 drugs that yield the...

Wednesday, November 17, 2021: Payers

New data from a Cigna subsidiary indicates that leveraging behavioral health treatment can result in a positive return on investment (ROI) for health plan sponsors. According to the research, behavioral health treatment in an outpatient setting leads to fewer...

Wednesday, November 17, 2021: Payers

In a new Health Affairs blog post, CMS leadership outlined the agency’s agenda to expand coverage and access, improve equity, and encourage innovation. According to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and Center for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance...

Wednesday, November 17, 2021: Payers

A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled their Cures 2.0 legislation, building on the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016. The legislation would make some pandemic-related telehealth flexibilities permanent, allow Medicare to cover breakthrough medical devices for four...

Tuesday, November 16, 2021: Payers

Three labor organizations filed a petition indicating that they think the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate is too limited in applying to only large businesses. The AFL-CIO and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union filed a petition...

Tuesday, November 16, 2021: Payers

The CMS released data showing that the number of improper payments made under Medicare fee-for-service declined by $20.72 billion since 2014. The 2021 Medicare fee-for-service estimated improper payment rate—for claims processed between July 1, 2020, and June 30,...