News Briefs
✦ President Donald Trump’s statements touting chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as promising treatments for the new coronavirus has triggered hoarding of the drug and subsequent shortages, the New York Times re...
News Briefs
✦ America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) sent a letter to House and Senate leaders on March 19 outlining various legislative proposals to “protect Americans...
News Briefs
✦ The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in its latest report to Congress observed “positive trends” in Medicare Advantage benchmarks, bids and payments relative to fee for service, MedPAC Executive Direct...
News Briefs
✦ On March 9, global insurance brokerage firm Aon PLC agreed to buy fellow broker Willis Towers Watson in a deal that values the new firm at roughly $80 billion, according to a joint press release. The release emp...
News Briefs
✦ CMS on March 11 rolled out a voluntary model that would set out-of-pocket costs for insulin at a maximum $35 copayment per 30-day supply throughout the benefit year for beneficiaries in participating enhanced Pa...
News Briefs
✦ Cigna Corp. said in a March 5 press release that it will waive all copays or cost sharing for members whom health practitioners recommend receive coronavirus (COVID-19) testing. America’s Health Insurance Plan...
News Briefs
✦ CMS’s 2019 Medicare Parts C and D program audits resulted in civil monetary penalties amounting to nearly $1.2 million imposed on six organizations, according to CMP notices posted at www.cms.gov. The agency...
News Briefs
✦ Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment grew by 9.4% year over year in February 2020, covering approximately 24.4 million lives, according to an analysis by Axios. The growth rate increased from 2019’s 6.8% enrollm...
News Briefs
✦Walgreen Co. and Kroger Co. can continue to pursue a lawsuit (No. 19-1730) over Remicade (infliximab) against Janssen Biotech Inc. and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson, according to a decision by the U.S...
News Briefs
✦ The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) and health care technology company Aetion are partnering to advance the use of real-world evidence (RWE) in assessing the cost-effectiveness of medicines, ST...