Healthcare plans

The data from more than 3,000 hospitals that take Medicare, the government’s health program for the elderly, showed that in some cases costs can drastically vary for hip replacements, bone fractures and treatments for kidney failure. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it released the data for the first time to make the overall health system “more affordable and accountable.”

Ninety percent of Americans lack confidence that they have enough savings to cover emergencies and the long-term implications of serious illnesses, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s or heart disease, reports the National Institute for Wellness Solutions.

Health Management was thrown into the spotlight in December when the CBS Corp. television program “60 Minutes” aired a report criticizing the company’s emergency room practices. The company at the time called the report inaccurate.

People with health insurance saw increases in their medical costs slow from 2009 to 2011, signaling potential structural changes in the industry that could cut health care inflation and save the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars, according to two studies.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is taking a firm stand on the discussion about how the navigators' role varies from brokers and agents - they're different. After testifying before an April hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Gary Cohen, the director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, part of CMS, told EBA that navigators will be supplying objective information, while brokers will continue in their role of advising. "They are not making recommendations, they're not selling," Cohen said about navigators.

David Goldhill, CEO of the game show network takes on U.S. health care system spurred by death of his father.

The federal government is doing everything it can to ensure public health insurance exchanges are ready to begin enrollment on October 1. However, the head of the agency that is building the marketplace warned it will be a close call to the finish and everyone must work together to ensure that happens.

StayWell Health Management and Towers Watson study takes multi-year look to understand the potential payoff of prevention and risk education.

Although the Supreme Court only recently took up the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, the issue has been around since the early 2000s, when large employers began to voluntarily offer health coverage to same-sex domestic partners.

Thirty-six states received either a D or an F in a report card, issued by two nonprofit organizations, measuring the strength of health care price transparency laws.

A two-year study from UnitedHealthcare shows its disease management program for diabetes can help people with the condition manage it more effectively, while also reducing related costs for employers.

Aetna Inc., the third-biggest health insurer by sales, raised its full-year forecast, helped by a surge in Medicare and Medicaid premiums and medical claims that were lower than the company anticipated.

Aon Plc, the insurance broker that moved its headquarters to London from Chicago, declined the most since May after a measure of revenue growth slowed.

Everyone in the industry has been saying it — consumer-driven health plans are good for young, healthy individuals and the plans are the future of health insurance. New research released recently by the Employee Benefit Research Institute shows that right now, the young part of that equation may not tell the whole story.

A full three-quarters of the workforce thinks their employer will educate them about changes to their health care coverage as a result of reform, but only 13% of employers say educating employees about health care reform is important to their organization.

WellPoint Inc. CEO Joseph R. Swedish won high marks from investors and analysts in his first public appearance since taking over for the ousted Angela Braly.

Reinforcing other studies, Truven finds that more than two-thirds of the 6.5 million emergency department visits during the study period for those under the age of 65 were avoidable and could have saved employers and health plans millions.

MetLife Inc., the largest U.S. life insurer, raised its dividend 49% in the first increase since 2007, after its exit from banking limited oversight from the Federal Reserve. The company gained the most since January in New York trading.

Patient safety at U.S. hospitals is hampered by inadequate teamwork and communication, as well as a negative culture, according to a study by insurer American International Group Inc.

As most employers worry about whether to “pay or play” as of 2014 and whether or not certain employees will need to be counted as full-time for health care reform purposes, there is an elephant in the room: the approaching nondiscrimination rules that apply to all health plans that are not grandfathered.