News Briefs

✦ Employer health care spending could grow anywhere from 4% to 10% in 2021 as costs rebound from a dip in utilization tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from PwC’s Health Research Institute. The two main factors that PwC expects to inflate spending in 2021 are increased mental health services utilization and new and previously approved specialty drugs. Two major potential offsetting factors include the rapid adoption of telehealth and employers increasing their use of narrow networks. Read more at https://pwc.to/2ZCWTTI.

✦ The House of Representatives on June 25 passed a bill that aims to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA), incentivize holdout states to expand Medicaid and lower prescription drug prices. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act (HR 1425) advanced on a 230-180 vote, though it has little chance of passing in the Republican-controlled Senate. Among other provisions, the bill would expand ACA subsidies, help states develop their own insurance marketplaces and enact measures included in a drug-pricing bill previously passed by the House, HR 3. Read about the bill at https://bit.ly/2ZAze64.

0

0

0 Comments

0

0

• Health Plan Weekly