New Anti-Obesity Drugs Put Employers in a Quandary
A surge in demand for pricey, new and highly effective anti-obesity medications could put a financial strain on employers who sponsor their employees' health plans. Employers have long offered coverage for certain weight loss tools, such as bariatric surgery if employees
2024 HSA Contribution Limits, HDHP Minimums, Maximums Set
The IRS has raised the maximum amount employees can funnel into their health savings accounts by 7.8% for 2024, the largest increase ever, brought to you by inflation. The IRS updates this amount annually, along with minimum deductibles as well as
16 Surprising FSA and HSA Eligible Expenses Your Employees Should Know About
Employers offer flexible savings accounts and health savings accounts to their employees so they can build up funds with pre-tax dollars to pay for health care and related expenses. For the most part, people use their funds in FSAs and HSAs
PBMs Feeling the Heat on All Fronts
While drugmakers have been assailed for years for increasing their prices and driving the cost of medications higher and higher, there is another player in the health care space that is receiving increased scrutiny: pharmacy benefit managers. PBMs are intermediaries, acting
HDHP Enrollees Less Satisifed with Their Health Plans
A new study has found that people enrolled in traditional PPOs and HMOs are more satisfied with their plans than those who are enrolled in high-deductible health plans. But satisfaction greatly increases when HDHP enrollees stick with their plan for
More Employers Expand Mental Health Benefits
American workers are more stressed than ever coming out of the pandemic, and an increasing number of people are also struggling with mental health issues. Sadly, the number of people dying from drugs, alcohol and suicide hit record levels in 2022. When
Insurers Promise to Keep Covering Preventative Services
Most health insurers plan to continue offering free preventative care services despite a federal judge having imposed a nationwide injunction on an Affordable Care Act requirement that these services are covered with no out-of-pocket costs on the part of patients,
Smallest Firms See Largest Health Insurance Hikes
A new report has found that small businesses that purchase their group health insurance online or through payroll vendors saw the largest premium hikes in 2022, significantly higher than those that went through brokers. Overall rates for employers with 10 or
Making Your Voluntary Benefits Program a Success
Both employers and employees have much to gain from a solid voluntary benefits program. For employees, being able to enroll in an insurance product through a workplace voluntary benefits program offers them the advantage of group pricing, the convenience of paying
Insurers Make Changes to Prior Approvals Ahead of Rulemaking
After the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed new rules aimed at streamlining the prior approval process for most health plans in the U.S., a number of the country's largest insurers announced their own steps to improve the process. UnitedHealthcare