Employers

A survey by Willis Towers Watson finds significantly increased use and noted satisfaction in virtual care among the US workforce amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

A report by PwC discusses the health care agenda of President-elect Joe Biden, particularly how his term will shape the future of the Affordable Care Act, value-based care, and drug prices.

A recent survey of employers revealed a current a shift in organizations working to adopt lower-cost, value-based health care models.

A panel of key opinion leaders discuss how employers and self-funded companies should assess provider quality and value in cancer care at the 2020 Community Oncology Alliance Virtual Payer Exchange Summit.

Michael Abrams, MA, is the co-founder and managing partner of Numerof & Associates, a firm that helps businesses across the health care sector define and implement strategies for winning in dynamic markets.

As the pandemic contributed to a significant decrease in the use of health care services in 2020, an analysis finds that employer health care benefit costs will likely increase in 2021 to address this deferral in care.

Family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose 4% over the past year, averaging $21,342, according to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study findings, with workers contributing $5588 in out-of-pocket costs.

Amid disruption precipitated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a survey by the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions shows employers are maintaining or accelerating their health benefit strategies for 2021 and 2022.

This article was written by Maureen Hennessey, PhD, CPCC, CPHQ, senior vice president and director of Value Transformation for PRECISIONvalue.

Jason Shafrin, PhD, serves as the vice president of Health Economics at PRECISIONheor, and Meena Venkatachalam, MSc, is the senior director of Health Economics at PRECISIONheor.

Karen Kobelski is the vice president and general manager of clinical surveillance, compliance & data solutions at Wolters Kluwer. She brings more than 25 years of experience to her position, which expands her previous leadership role over the Safety & Surveillance group to also include the Health Language portfolio of data normalization solutions.

Expanding traditional value frameworks to include inequality and factors that contribute to this is the first step to addressing disparities in health outcomes. Utilizing multi-criteria decision analysis and distributional cost effect analysis can assist in deriving data and subsequently acting on these issues.

When 40th Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) Annual Conference meets this week, stakeholder groups will tackle issues within population health and precision medicine, and discuss the influence of employers on these discussions.

In a webinar by the Integrated Benefits Institute, an employer panel discussed perspectives, initiatives, and challenges in their respective caregiving benefits, as well as how the current pandemic has impacted their strategies.

In 2 surveys, employers identified efforts to increase availability of virtual care, support employees undertaking greater caregiving roles, and address social and health inequities as a result of the pandemic.

Beyond telework, some notable strategies that employers should consider when managing back-to-school and other leave related concerns among employees include child care benefits and flexible work options, said David Weisenfeld, JD, legal editor and host of a XpertHR podcast.

Hinge Health announced the expansion of its clinical and technical musculoskeletal (MSK) capabilities to cover the full continuum of MSK care. The move will provide the most complete back and joint health solution to employers and health plans.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines that are leading the pack are utilizing a new vaccine technology that has never been approved for human use by the FDA. As a result, there are a lot of unknowns.