About 1,600 patients covered by Medicare Advantage plans are expected to lose insurance coverage at MD Anderson Cancer Center by the end of this week, officials at the cancer hospital said Wednesday. The patients have been covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, which previously announced that its Medicare Advantage members would no longer receive 'in-network' access to the hospital as of Nov. 1. That means those patients could not receive care at heavily discounted rates. The number of impacted patients has not been previously reported.
Telehealth companies Hims & Hers Health Inc., Noom Inc. and Sesame Inc. have lured individual customers with low-cost versions of popular weight-loss shots like Ozempic and Wegovy. Now, they're going after employers, too, as the medications become an in-demand perk. After Noom began offering a compounded copy of Wegovy for $149 a month, CEO Geoff Cook says he was 'actually a little surprised' by the level of employer interest.
Two-thirds of the 5.9 million state residents under Covered California who have signed up for a health plan at the site pay a monthly premium of $10 or less for a health plan that covers them if their families experience unexpected medical challenges.
In addition to addressing care needs that are often unmet or handled by unpaid family members, this type of program could help households more efficiently manage risks at older ages, expand the productive capacity of the economy by providing more flexibility to would-be unpaid caregivers, and potentially reduce reliance on other public programs.
UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Amedisys Inc. representatives are slated to meet with top Justice Department antitrust enforcers in a last-ditch effort to persuade the agency not to challenge their proposed tie-up, according to people familiar with the matter. The high-stakes meeting between the companies and DOJ antitrust leadership, including Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, is typically the last step before officials decide whether to file a lawsuit. It's often referred to as a 'last-rites' meeting.
Patients covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Medicare Advantage and Medicaid insurance plans will lose in-network access to MD Anderson Cancer Center next week, according to a statement on the cancer hospital's website. By Nov. 1, the hospital's agreement with the insurer's Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans will expire, meaning patients on those plans will no longer be charged heavily discounted rates for care. Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurance companies and, like original Medicare, cover people over the age of 65 or people with certain disabilities.