| |
Lsvt Appointment Of Drug Company To GAVI Board Draws Criticism From NGOs
More Insurers Want You To See A Doctor VirtuallyInsurers like WellPoint and Aetna are offering patients the option of e-visits with doctors as a way to cut costs, but some see problems with that, reports Bloomberg. Other media outlets explore the controversy over Sovaldi, an expensive new drug for hepatitis C.Bloomberg: More Docs Are A Click Away, But Some Say Its Not A Healthy Trend Health insurers want you to see the doctor, just not in an office or hospital. To cut medical costs and diagnose minor ailments, WellPoint and Aetna, among other health insurers, are letting millions of patients get seen online first. In a major expansion of telemedicine, WellPoint this month started offering 4塵illion patients the ability to have e-visits with doctors, while Aetna says it will boost online access to 8 million people next year from 3 million now. The insurers are joining with companies such as Teladoc, MDLive and American Well that offer virtual visits with doctors who, in some states, can pr brumate era escribe drugs for anything from sinus infections to back pain French, 7/14 . The Washington Posts Wonkblog: How do You Pay For A Drug That Costs $84,000 聽There s a new $84,000 treatment for hepatitis C that s giving ne hydro flask bottle w hope to patients. But it s also giving a health-care system strained by limited resources a strong reality ch hydro flask water bottle eck. Since Gilead Sciences unveiled Sovaldi more than six months ago, its $84,000 price tag has ignited a conversation in the health policy world about how to make lif Twfv Clintons, Gore Address Health Care Issues at Democratic National Convention
Thursday, Jun 11 2009Massachusetts Employers, Workers To See Minimum 10% Increase in Insurance Premiums in 2006Many Massachusetts companies and their workers likely will see increases in their health insurance premiums of 10% or more beginning in 2006, according to the state s largest insurers, the Boston Globe reports. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state s largest health insurer with 2.75 million members, said it expects to increase premiums 10% to 14% for employers with more than 50 workers. According to the Globe, 2006 will mark the sixth consecutive year in which health insurance premiums have increased by 10% or more. Insurers attribute the double-digit increases to rising prescription drug costs, an aging population and increasing hospital expenses. According to industry experts, th stanley drink bottle e continuing increases in premiums mean both employers and workers will have to absorb more costs. And with some employers expected to offer health plans that would require workers to pay higher out-of-pocket costs, experts say some state residents might be unable to afford coverage, resulting in an increase owala canada in the uninsured rate. As prices g stanley in uk o up, some at the margin won t be able to afford to cover their families, Michael Doonan, executive director of the nonpartisan research group Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, said. Doonan added that Medicaid enrollment also will increase. Andre Mayer, senior vice president for research at Associated Industries of Massachusetts, s
|
|