Healthcare costs

Chris Wolpert learned the power of publishing in getting across his benefits-advising message, earn street cred, and court prospective clients.

Morgan Health is investing $30 million in Centivo, a three-year-old Buffalo, New York-based health-plan administrator that says it’s holding members’ average annual out-of-pocket expenses to less than $350.

Ben Simmons, VP of insurance at Gravie, delves into how his company provides users with health insurance plans that have neither deductibles or copays.

Blue Shield of California is partnering with a company that is making use of telehealth services to enable follow-up care for home care visits by physicians.

Cigna Ventures is leading a $23 million investment in GNS Healthcare, a specialized artificial intelligence company.

Health plans now gather and report data for quality reporting, claims reporting and to conduct risk adjustment analysis, but typically these various data collections occur separately, are sometimes duplicative and are uncoordinated, say Deloitte experts. But that will soon all change.

IBM has awarded Blue Cross of Idaho the 2019 IBM Watson Health Advantage Award for its use of data analytics to improve outcomes and lower costs in episodes of care.

Policyholders generally are dissatisfied with the apps that their insurers are providing, according to a new study by J.D. Power.

To help fight the rising tide of specialty drug costs, CVS Specialty has been elevating its digital tool capability for drug management and integrating it with its care coordination programs.

Telehealth acquisition, expansion into electronic medical records and hospital supply chain disruption are contributing factors, one industry insider says.

Aetna has signed on to the Synaptic Health Alliance, a group started by Humana and four other insurers earlier this year and which is also adding hospitals.

Telemedicine is an effective option for patients who have trouble getting to the doctor’s office, but complex state laws make it difficult to provide service to everyone.

The consumerization of healthcare establishes an environment where shopping for insurance should be similar to an online retail experience.

Jack Stoddard, a longtime healthcare executive, has been named as COO of the healthcare initiative.

Action by CMS could drive up premiums, force companies to stop offering coverage to needy consumers.

Several insurers in Maryland and Virginia are seeking double-digit percentage increases in monthly costs for individual medical plans in 2019.

Insurance payments will increase by double-digit percentages for Obamacare plans in most states next year.

Policyholders had difficulty finding care providers who’d accept their ACA plan insurance, and found that even doctors listed by the insurer as taking the coverage often didn’t.

The bill eliminates a tax penalty for Americans who don’t carry health insurance, a pillar of the Affordable Care Act.

The insurer will be able to roll out new mobile and desktop distribution platforms quickly by bringing its key partner closer, it says.