Back in 2013, ProPublica detailed what seemed a stunning development in the pharmaceutical industry’s drive to win the prescription pads of the nation’s doctors: In just four years, one doctor had earned $1 million giving promotional talks and consulting for drug companies; 21 others had made more than $500,000.
The analysis injects fresh skepticism into the popular theory that giving consumers more information about the cost of medical services will compel them to choose lower-cost healthcare providers.
Molina Healthcare has agreed to buy a health plan in New York for $40 million in cash in a move to expand its Medicaid health benefits operations in the state. Molina said Wednesday it has signed a deal to “acquire certain assets” of YourCare Health Plan, Inc., a nonprofit unit of Monroe Plan for Medical Care.
While our representatives in Washington debate the nuances of broader healthcare policy, uninsured Americans are still turning to local hospitals to access basic care, and these hospitals are still on the hook for covering those costs. But if Congress doesn’t act in just a few short days, funding for the program that helps keep these hospitals open will lapse, affecting dozens of hospitals across North Carolina and the thousands of people who rely on them.
UnitedHealth Group Inc. will lose two large customers in its retiree health-care business next year, a setback for the insurer in an increasingly competitive marketplace for senior medical benefits. Verizon Communications Inc. will no longer offer UnitedHealth plans to retired workers in its western region starting in 2020, according to people familiar with the matter.
CVS Health is a industry-spanning monolith—a vertically integrated company that owns pharmacies, a pharmacy-benefit manager, and a health-insurance company. In a note out Tuesday morning, a J.P. Morgan analyst said that is a major strength.