Healthcare benefits

The government said the rules announced last week would broaden the types of organizations eligible for an exemption from the birth-control mandate and make it easier for them to escape it.

Opioid painkiller abuse and physicians dispensing of repackaged drugs top the list of cost drivers in the 2012 Survey of Prescription Drug Management.

“Too few adults are taking advantage of protection from vaccines, leaving themselves and those around them at greater risk for vaccine-preventable diseases,” says one government health expert.

A small survey from the Midwest Group on Health indicates that, while further conversation is needed, awareness of the challenges surrounding specialty pharmacy is increasing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that influenza is widespread in 47 states, but certain regions may soon start to see fewer cases.

Despite relatively flat prescription prices, drug cost remains a major concern for workers’ compensation pharmacy benefit managers. Their biggest trouble-maker: opioids.

Prescription medications for age-related conditions such as hair loss and mental alertness have been steadily increasing in cost, says benefit manager Express Scripts, surpassed only both those for diabetes and high cholesterol.

A report published this week claims there’s no such thing as resistance to aspirin, and that expensive prescription blood thinners may be overused.

Up to 20% of those who take currently available medication to lower bad cholesterol suffer from side effects, but new medicines may take unusual forms — engineered tomatoes and yogurt.

Customer satisfaction with mail-order pharmacies declined for the second year running, according to a survey from J.D. Power and Associates, and that could spell trouble for health plans that insist on their usage.

Health care plans that insist participants get their prescription medications by mail order could see backlash, unless they address concerns.

Consultants, industry groups question the transparency in PBM practices.

As CEO of United Benefit Advisors, I hear continually about the issues facing our 36,000 employer clients. Managing prescription drug costs continues to be paramount. The UBA 2012 Health Plan Survey shows that 64.2% of prescription drug plans utilize three co-pay tiers (generic, formulary brand, and non-formulary brand); 2.9% have a one-tier plan, 8.2% retain a two-tier plan; and 24.7% add a fourth tier (specialty). Consultants should watch these plan structures carefully as many brand-name drugs go off their patents and pricing is determined for the influx of generic drugs. On the other end of the spectrum, we're watching increases in specialty drugs, which are driving up costs significantly.

Manufacturers expect to produce nearly 150 million doses of flu vaccine this season, and a new report from Walgreens says the doctor’s office is the pricey place to get them.

New research suggests that reducing drug costs even a small amount for people with chronic health conditions makes it more likely they will adhere to medication regimens.

Health assistance provider CareCounsel has been purchased by Stanford Hospital & Clinics, which says leadership and core directive will not be changing.

The Generic Pharmaceutical Association claims that consumers and the health care industry have saved more than $1 trillion in the past 10 years through the use of non-name-brand meds.

New Medicare and Medicaid funding uncertainties and potential for a political stalemate on health care reform could worsen revenue growth in U.S. not-for-profit health care sector.

Experts who have crunched the numbers on retiree medical cost estimates that factor in Medicare premiums, prescription drugs and the occasional illness project frightening bills – even for healthy individuals.

In a gadget-driven world that has nearly erased any boundary line between work and life, there’s an app for just about anything. The employee benefits landscape is no exception.