Two of the nation’s leading forces in health insurance -- UnitedHealthcare and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association -- faced off Thursday before Congress in a battle over control of the $47 billion program that covers 8 million federal employees, retirees and their families.
UnitedHealthcare wants to change a 1959 federal law that it says allows the nonprofit Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans to dominate the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB). Blues plans now cover almost two-thirds of the people in the program, often described as the nation’s best run employer-sponsored coverage because of its wide choice and efficiency.
The Obama administration backs efforts by UnitedHealthcare and other for-profit insurers to allow regional PPO-style health plans to compete to cover federal employees, saying that will help hold down costs and offer the types of plans more typical in the private market. PPOs give members a wide choice of providers but require them to pay more if they go outside of a network.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/11WPsmC
Source: Kaiser Health News
Dr Chakra Chaulagain: PFS Is the "Bare Minimum," but OS Is Ideal for Choosing Between MM Therapies
March 28th 2024Response rates are important when choosing between therapies to treat multiple myeloma (MM), but improvement overall survival (OS) is the ideal, said Chakra Chaulagain MD, FACP, hematologist/oncologist, Maroone Cancer Center of Cleveland Clinic Florida.
Read More
Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
Listen
Alopecia Areata Impacts Patient Perception, Quality of Life
March 27th 2024Patients with alopecia areata (AA) often perceive their hair loss as more severe than dermatologists do, leading to increased emotional and social problems. This study highlights the importance of understanding patient perception for better treatment and improved quality of life.
Read More
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
Listen
The Supreme Court seems likely to reject a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone; the FDA is inspecting far fewer pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical research; AstraZeneca has sued to block an Arkansas law that it said would unlawfully expand the 340B program to include for profit-pharmacy chains.
Read More
Poor Well-Being Scores Linked to Early Treatment Stoppage in Multiple Myeloma
March 27th 2024Investigators used the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General General Physical Wellbeing Scale to collect data on patient-reported treatment-related adverse effects, to provide clinicians guidance on predicting risk of early treatment discontinuation among ECOG-ACRIN E1A11 trial participants.
Read More