Pat Geraghty, CEO of Florida Blue, the leading health insurer in Florida, today announced that the company will donate $1 million to support relief and recovery efforts across the state in the wake of Hurricane Irma. [Read more…]

Tampa-based WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), a leading provider of Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans throughout the country, today announced that, after activating its emergency business continuity plan ahead of Hurricane Irma’s arrival in Florida, its Tampa-area facilities remain operational and the company is facing minimal interruption in business in serving its 4.4 million members. [Read more…]

A Trump administration agency proposal to cut Medicare drug payments to hospitals serving poor and rural Americans is counterproductive and would actually reduce access to care, a group of over 1,300 hospitals says in comments submitted today to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). [Read more…]

Hurricane Irma is expected to cause catastrophic destruction across Puerto Rico, Florida, and possibly other states, even as the Gulf Coast is working to recover from Hurricane Harvey. Many healthcare facilities and pharmacies are already unavailable for extended periods, and others soon will be. As the waters subside, patients in affected areas may be displaced, many care locations will be temporarily closed, and prescribing patterns could be disrupted due to evacuations, power outages, and massive flooding across the region. [Read more…]

For nearly two decades, New Life Agency has been committed to providing the best value and service in the Assisted Reproduction Insurance industry. Today, New Life Agency announces a powerful three-way partnership designed to deliver substantial savings on today’s expensive fertility medications. [Read more…]

While Middle American men and women share similar feelings of financial security, women are more likely to worry about their personal finances and with good reason: they are three times more likely to say they cannot afford to save for retirement, according to a new study from Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual). [Read more…]

While a narrow majority of 1,033 physicians surveyed by Merritt Hawkins strongly (42%) or somewhat (14%) support a “single payer healthcare system” in the U.S., more than 90% of 1,208 persons responding to an internet survey by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons said they were opposed. [Read more…]

Hurricane Harvey has struck a significant blow to the Houston, Texas metro area, home to the sixth largest import terminal in the world, as well as all of the shipping lanes in the Gulf Coast area. Given the strong economic linkages between the gulf coast and the country as a whole, Harvey is a disaster that will impact the U.S. economy far beyond that of the gulf coast. [Read more…]

As Hurricane Irma heads toward Florida, residents are preparing for its impact. Anxiety is running high for many in the path of this very strong storm. [Read more…]

Unaffordable medical expenses are often the first consequence when a critical illness such as cancer or heart disease strikes, so FTLife has responded by launching the MediSave Medical Account. This helps customers prepare for the possibility that serious illness could strike a breadwinner, or other family member, at any time. [Read more…]

The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, “We are urging a medical doctor, a nurse or a manager at a nursing home, skilled nursing facility, a rehab center, a dialysis center or a company providing hospice services to call us anytime at 866-714-6466 if they can prove their employer is involved in significant Medicare overbilling. One of our top targets are healthcare companies that are gouging Medicare with unnecessary medical procedures, or medical treatments that never took place. Recently a small group of whistleblowers with this exact type of information received a $3.6-million-dollar reward.”

http://CorporateWhistleblower.Com

According to the Corporate Whistleblower Center, “We are convinced there probably a more than a few people in every state that could be millionaires based on their inside information about Medicare fraud and healthcare companies ripping off the federal government. If you possess this type of information please call us at 866-714-6466. Why sit on a winning lotto ticket without ever knowing what it could be worth?”

Rise People, a new digital HR and group health insurance platform, has announced that Brigitte Parent, formerly SVP of Group Benefits at Sun Life Financial Canada, has joined its advisory board.<--more-->

Parent, named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network, brings extensive strategic group and individual insurance experience to Rise.

Having joined Sun Life in 1995, Parent has extensive experience as a senior leader for both its Canadian and global businesses. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice-President of Group Benefits. Parent was also Senior Vice-President of Individual Insurance and Wealth for Canada where she was responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of insurance and wealth management products and solutions.

In 2015, Parent was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by The Women’s Executive Network, where she received the RBC Champions Award to recognize the difference she has made in helping advance women in the Canadian workplace.

KEPRO announced today that the Division of TennCare, the state of Tennessee’s Medicaid program, has awarded the contract for the management of its toll-free call center to support TennCare members to KEPRO.

KEPRO will manage the toll-free call center that allows TennCare’s members to file medical issues or appeals by phone. The call center currently receives an average of 2,500 calls per week.

The registered nurses of Berkshire Medical Center, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against BMC citing management’s months long refusal to provide information necessary to negotiate over health insurance, which is a mandatory subject of bargaining under federal labor law. [Read more…]

Today, ISMIE Mutual Insurance Company and ISMIE Indemnity announced entry into Pennsylvania. The companies will offer occurrence and claims made medical liability coverage for individual health professionals, groups and health care facilities. [Read more…]

The American Council of the Blind commends U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) on the introduction of H.R. 3457, which calls for the Controller General of the United States to investigate the government’s systemic failure to provide materials in accessible formats for recipients of Medicare and Medicaid. [Read more…]

Avella just announced that it has launched a new e-commerce platform designed to streamline ordering compounded preparations. This easy-to-use, secure and intuitive web-based portal gives ophthalmology providers the ability to save payment information and easily order or re-order with customized shipping method. It also provides access to ordering history and invoices at a glance. [Read more…]

Wellthy Therapeutics, a Digital Therapeutics company based out of Mumbai, is one of the five companies selected, and the only Healthcare company to enrol into Swiss Re InsurTech Accelerator programme this year. Wellthy’s artificial intelligence powered mobile intervention focuses on reversing and controlling diabetes through integrated care. Wellthy facilitates behavioural change and enables on demand care to improve health through a clinically proven policyholder centric tool, while reducing risk for health and life insurers. [Read more…]

Springbuk, the leading employer-facing health intelligence platform, continues to show strong growth of its business-to-business software. With the introduction of more than 300 new employer customers in the second quarter, Springbuk now has over 900 employers on the analytics platform. [Read more…]

Sempre Health, the leading solution for behavior-based healthcare pricing, officially launched health plan partnerships today to empower consumers to lower their own medication costs. Sempre works with health plans and pharma manufacturers to dynamically adjust a patient’s co-payment based on individual adherence and behavior, seamlessly at the point of fill. [Read more…]

Missouri Care, Inc., a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), announced today that it has signed an agreement with SSM Health that provides in-network coverage to Missouri Care’s MO HealthNet Managed Care (Medicaid) members. This agreement includes access to academic medical centers, community hospitals, physicians, urgent care centers, ambulatory care centers and other services and facilities owned by or affiliated with SSM Health. [Read more…]

A young Ohio father and his baby boy who battled brain cancer at the same time are among the 22 million Americans at risk of losing health insurance if a bill being considered by the United States Senate becomes law. The family is featured in a new video released today urging lawmakers to vote no. [Read more…]

A comprehensive program announced today by pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime), which serves 14 Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans nationally, identifies members who are at risk of controlled substance misuse and gets them into programs that can help reduce their risk. Prime’s “Controlled Substance Management Program” combines existing and new offerings into a multi-layered program to help address the national epidemic. [Read more…]

Last year the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued a report about Americans’ concerns and actions related to long-term care (LTC), also referred to as long-term services and supports (LTSS). [Read more…]

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) today announced sales of $18.8 billion for the second quarter of 2017, an increase of 1.9% as compared to the second quarter of 2016. Operational sales results increased 2.9% and the negative impact of currency was 1.0%. Domestic sales increased 1.6%. International sales increased 2.3%, reflecting operational growth of 4.4% and a negative currency impact of 2.1%. Excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, on an operational basis, worldwide sales increased 0.5%, domestic sales decreased 1.0% and international sales increased 2.0%.* [Read more…]

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has issued a statement deeply critical of the draft health care legislation introduced yesterday in the Senate, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act, or BCRA. ACEP’s president, Dr. Rebecca Parker, said: [Read more…]

The American Diabetes Association has grave concerns about the impact the draft Senate health care bill will have on people with diabetes. Individuals with diabetes need access to continuous health care to effectively manage their disease and to prevent dangerous and costly complications. The proposed legislation could significantly limit access to care and yield increased costs for people with diabetes, and particularly for older Americans, who are at greater risk for diabetes. The bill also does not guarantee comprehensive coverage. [Read more…]

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wisc., June 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The accolades continue to accrue for SKYGEN USA. The company, which is dedicated to transforming the delivery of health benefits through innovative, technology-enabled solutions that drive down the cost of care while ensuring healthier outcomes for all Americans, announced today that it has been ranked number 86 on the prestigious 2017 Healthcare Informatics (HCI) 100 list. [Read more…]

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — CAHU is dismayed that the California State Senate saw fit to pass the $400 billion per year tax plan to pay for universal single payer legislation, SB 562 (Lara/Atkins). [Read more…]

American Well announced today that its clinical partner, Online Care Group, is open and available for telehealth visits in Texas, following the historic signing of Bill SB107 into law by Governor Abbott on May 27. This bill embraces telehealth, holding medical professionals using telehealth to the same standard of care as those in a traditional medical practice and paving the way for more expansive use of high-quality telehealth services. [Read more…]