Healthcare Firms at Risk; Hackers Value Medical Records Over Credit Data
Your medical information is worth 10 times more than your credit card number on the black market. Last month, the FBI warned healthcare providers to guard against cyber attacks after one of the largest...
View Article12.7 Million Sign Up for Coverage on Health Insurance Exchanges: HHS
About 12.7 million Americans signed up for 2016 health insurance coverage through the government insurance exchanges, surpassing its expectations, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia...
View ArticleCalifornia Commissioner Asks National Regulators to Block Aetna-Humana Deal
California’s insurance commissioner on Thursday urged national antitrust regulators to block health insurer Aetna Inc’s proposed $34 billion acquisition of Humana Inc. David Jones, whose state...
View ArticleJustice Department Has ‘Significant Concerns’ with Aetna-Humana Marriage
The U.S. Department of Justice has significant concerns about Aetna Inc’s proposed acquisition of health insurer Humana Inc., a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday, sending shares of...
View ArticleHealth Insurers Could Go on Buying Spree If Big Mergers Blocked
The potential bust-up of two mega deals among America’s largest health insurance companies may have an unintended result – more mergers. The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday sued to block Aetna...
View ArticleInsurers Lobby for Clarity as Republicans Move to Repeal Obamacare
The largest lobbying group for health insurers has asked U.S. lawmakers weighing the fate of Obamacare to push back the due date for 2018 individual insurance submissions to regulators in hopes of...
View ArticleFederal Judge Halts Anthem-Cigna Merger as Harmful to Competition
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled against U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc.’s proposed $54 billion merger with smaller rival Cigna Corp., derailing an unprecedented effort to consolidate the country’s...
View ArticleTrump Seeks Help from Insurers, Governors in Overhauling Health Insurance
President Donald Trump sought on Monday to bring the nation’s largest insurance companies on board with his plans to overhaul Obamacare, saying their help was needed to deliver a smooth transition to...
View ArticleInsurers, Hospitals Worry Republican Plan Makes Insurance Less Affordable
The House Republican health insurance plan suggests coverage after Obamacare will be less affordable, insurers and industry experts said on Tuesday, raising questions about whether Americans will...
View ArticleObamacare Explosion More Like a Slow Burn for Now
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Obamacare was “exploding” after Republican lawmakers shelved legislation that would have dismantled the healthcare law. That’s not going to happen this...
View ArticleUnitedHealth Prices 2018 Insurance Plans to Include Obamacare Tax
UnitedHealth Group Inc. reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results on Tuesday and said it was coping with uncertainty in U.S. healthcare laws by pricing its 2018 insurance plans to include a...
View ArticleAetna Settles on New York for New Headquarters in 2018
Aetna Inc., the third-largest U.S. health insurer, will move its corporate headquarters to New York City next year, making it the latest company to leave Connecticut as the state raises taxes and deals...
View ArticleMore Counties Could Be Without an Obamacare Insurer in 2018
With Republican efforts to dismantle Obamacare in disarray, hundreds of U.S. counties are at risk of losing access to private health coverage in 2018 as insurers consider pulling out of those markets...
View ArticleAetna Keeps Quiet About Reported CVS Merger Talks; Net Income Rises 39%
U.S. health insurer Aetna Inc failed to provide any hints on reported merger talks with CVS Health Corp when discussing quarterly results on Tuesday and laid out obstacles to 2018 earnings growth,...
View ArticleCVS-Aetna Merger Will Influence Employers’ Benefits Decisions: Aon
CVS Corp.’s proposed purchase of Aetna Inc. will affect decision-making by a majority of large and mid-size U.S. corporations on employee health benefits, a survey by benefits consultant Aon Plc found....
View ArticleObamacare Enrollment Down Only 4% Despite GOP Sabotage Campaign
Slightly fewer Americans have enrolled for insurance through the federal Obamacare marketplace compared to a year ago, the government said on Thursday, but the number was higher than expected in light...
View ArticleCigna to Buy Pharmacy Benefits Manager Express Scripts for $52 Billion
U.S. health insurer Cigna Corp. struck a $52-billion deal to buy pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) Express Scripts Holding Co on Thursday, looking for new ways to hold onto their profits as the industry...
View ArticleJPMorgan, Amazon, Berkshire Venture to Target Health Issues Using Data,...
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Amazon.com Inc., and Berkshire Hathaway will focus on the biggest health issues threatening the U.S. economy in their new joint venture, including aligning healthcare payments...
View ArticleCo-Pay Tactic by Benefit Managers Credited with Cutting Prescription Drug Prices
A recently adopted tactic by U.S. health plans to limit the financial assistance drugmakers provide directly to consumers for prescription medicines is taking a toll on drug prices, according to a new...
View ArticleOn the Side, Express Scripts Eyes Distributing High-Priced Specialty Drugs
Express Scripts Holding Co. built a multi-billion enterprise pressuring drug companies to lower their prices for U.S. patients. Now it is quietly building a side business: getting paid to help drug...
View ArticleExpress Scripts, Cigna Shareholders Vote in Favor of $52 Billion Acquisition
Cigna Corp. shareholders on Friday voted in favor of the health insurer’s proposed $52 billion acquisition of pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts Holding Co., although the deal still needs...
View ArticleCigna Says Express Scripts Acquisition Passes Antitrust Review
Health insurer Cigna Corp.’s $52 billion acquisition of pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts Holding Co. has passed U.S. antitrust scrutiny, the companies said on Monday, allowing them to proceed...
View ArticleU.S. Clears Way for CVS Acquisition of Aetna That Promises Consumer Cost Savings
Pharmacy chain CVS Health Corp. won U.S. antitrust approval for its $69 billion acquisition of health insurer Aetna Inc., the Justice Department said on Wednesday, paving the way for a combination with...
View ArticleU.S. to Require Drug Companies to Disclose List Prices in TV Ads
The Trump administration on Wednesday said it will require drug makers to disclose the list price of prescription drugs in direct-to-consumer television advertisements, part of the government’s efforts...
View ArticleCVS to Expand Medical Services to 1,500 Stores
CVS Health Corp. said it would offer expanded health services such as nutrition counseling and blood pressure screenings in 1,500 stores by the end of 2021, following through on plans announced during...
View ArticleBlues Health Insurers Back Venture to Lower Generic Drug Prices
A group of Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers is investing $55 million in a venture that aims to offer cheaper prices to their members on generic drugs that currently have little or no competition, the...
View ArticleU.S. Employers Shying Away From Using Coronavirus ‘Immunity’ Tests in Reopening
U.S. employers have cooled to the idea of testing workers for possible immunity to the coronavirus as they prepare to reopen factories and other workplaces. Blood tests that check for antibodies to the...
View ArticleRisk of Airborne Coronavirus Adds to Challenge of Making Workspaces Safe
U.S. companies are raising new questions about how they can make workplaces safe after the world’s top public health agency acknowledged the risk that tiny airborne droplets of the novel coronavirus...
View ArticleCOVID-19 Signals Billions in Long-Term Healthcare Costs Ahead
Late in March, Laura Gross, 72, was recovering from gall bladder surgery in her Fort Lee, New Jersey, home when she became sick again. Her throat, head and eyes hurt, her muscles and joints ached and...
View ArticleInside Big Pharma’s Stealth War on Drug Price Watchdog: Reuters Special Report
As evidence grew this spring that the drug remdesivir was helping COVID-19 patients, some Wall Street investors bet on analysts’ estimates that its maker, Gilead Sciences Inc., could charge up to...
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