Indiana Senate committee advances several health care bills
Legislators voted to advance five health care-related bills, including measures banning non-compete agreements for physicians and placing limits on prior authorization.
Health Care & Insurance
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Cost transparency efforts advance in medicine
The Trump administration won a court ruling last month upholding its plan to require insurers and hospitals to disclose prices for common tests and procedures in a bid to promote competition and push down costs. The federal court decision comes as Indiana prepares to enact its own health care price transparency legislation next year.
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Medicaid coverage of weight-loss drugs could cost state up to $70 million a year
The Indiana Family and Social Service Administration’s Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning estimates that 5% to 20% of eligible members would be prescribed weight-loss medications.
Gov.-elect Braun selects pharmacy leader as health secretary
Dr. Gloria Sachdev will oversee four major state agencies: the Department of Health, the Family and Social Services Administration, the Department of Child Services and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO shouts on way into courthouse and fights extradition
The displays of resistance Tuesday weren’t expected to significantly delay legal proceedings for Luigi Nicholas Mangione, who was charged in last week’s Manhattan killing of Brian Thompson, the leader of the United States’ largest medical insurance company.
Community Health sues Humana to recover $7.3M in payments for drugs to low-income and uninsured
Community Health said Humana intentionally withheld reimbursement for outpatient prescription drugs provided to Humana’s Medicare Advantage members between Jan. 1, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2022.
Elevance Health sues feds over ‘arbitrary and capricious’ star ratings for Medicare Advantage plans
At stake are billions of dollars in bonuses that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awards to insurers that achieve a certain star rating on their Medicare Advantage scores.
Indiana Supreme Court case mulls whether counties can strip health insurance from elected officials
Are elected officials entitled to health insurance regardless of the number of hours they work? That question is before the Indiana Supreme Court, who heard arguments in a Perry County case Thursday that could have statewide implications for local officials.
Judge lets over 8,000 Catholic employers deny worker protections for abortion and fertility care
U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor, of Bismarck, North Dakota, granted a preliminary injunction Monday, ruling that two Catholic organizations were likely to succeed in proving that a rule adopted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission violated their freedom of religion.
Indiana hospital prices remain among highest in nation, report says
Indiana employers and employees are paying nearly three times, or 297%, what Medicare pays for the same services at the same hospital, the study concluded. That’s higher than the national average (254%), and higher than neighboring states.
U.S. drug control agency moving to reclassify marijuana in historic shift, sources say
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.
Federal judge grants collective status in suit brought by Lilly worker who claimed age bias
The ruling potentially opens the door to hundreds of Lilly employees over 40 years old who have been denied promotions for which they feel they were qualified.
Quieter year expected for Indiana health care bills
The Chair of the Indiana Senate Health and Provider Services Committee doesn’t expect the same big health care legislation that was produced in 2023 in the upcoming legislative session.
Judge denies motion to dismiss complaint brought by employee whose wife’s insurance was canceled just before cancer surgery
A man’s complaint against his employer after insurance coverage for his child and wife, who has breast cancer, was canceled can proceed with his claim after a federal judge denied the company’s motion to dismiss.
Separate pleading not needed in Medicaid reimbursement dispute, Indiana Supreme Court rules
In a lesson to the lower courts about judicial economy, the Indiana Supreme Court has overturned a ruling that had prevented a health care provider from obtaining a declaratory judgment as to whether it could charge patients for the cost of nonformulary over-the-counter medications.
Justice Department sues UnitedHealth over nearly $8B deal
Federal regulators are suing to block UnitedHealth Group’s purchase of technology company Change Healthcare, a deal they fear will put too much health care claims information in the hands of one company.
Next on FDA’s agenda: Booster shots of Moderna, J&J vaccines
With many Americans who got Pfizer vaccinations already rolling up their sleeves for a booster shot, millions of others who received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine wait anxiously to learn when it’s their turn.
Ex-NFL players plead guilty to health care fraud scheme
Former NFL players Clinton Portis, Tamarick Vanover and Robert McCune pleaded guilty for their roles in a nationwide health care fraud scheme and could face years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
IU Health suspends hundreds of unvaccinated workers, postpones all inpatient elective surgeries
Hundreds of Indiana University Health did not meet Wednesday’s deadline to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and will be suspended immediately, the hospital system confirmed Thursday.
AP-NORC poll: Government should help Americans age at home
Most Americans agree that government should help people fulfill a widely held aspiration to age in their own homes, not institutional settings, a new poll finds.
ISBA giving attorneys new option for health insurance
The Indiana State Bar Association rolled out a long-awaited health plan that bar association leaders believe will provide an affordable alternative, especially to small- and medium-size firms across the state.