Private and Medicare plans will continue their receptiveness to oral oncology therapies over the next five years, but anticipated increases in coinsurance rates and copays will shift more of the cost…
The recent renewal cycle was especially challenging for employers in the Carolinas, owing to the poor economy and new requirements under federal healthcare reform. Carriers continued to increase copay…
The commercial market in Oregon and Washington is seeing an increase in cost sharing with high-deductible plans and higher premiums. Employers are trying to control rising costs by implementing innova…
Health plans in Wisconsin and Minnesota are rolling out new suites of wellness products that offer premium discounts, among other perks, for hitting specified wellness targets. Minnesota's State E…
New York health plans are under more pressure than ever to keep a lid on rates, but their requests for premium increases have been curtailed under the new prior approval law. As one alternative, carri…
In the face of reimbursement pressures and uncertainty, Florida's Medicare and Medicaid insurers have tweaked their offerings as part of strategies to continue enrollment growth while the state…
BC/BS of Michigan, the heavyweight among Michigan carriers, is reacting to both the downed economy and strides made by its nearest competitor, Priority Health, by launching in 2011 a new slimmed-down…
Outside of changes related to healthcare reform, most insurers avoided major changes to benefit design for 2011. UnitedHealth Group launched a pilot in Phoenix and other markets which reimburses the Y…
The insurance market in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana reacted to new reform rules that began this fall. Employers with group plans were forced to decide whether or not to pursue grandfather status with t…
More employer groups are offering high deductible health plans as the sole offering to their employees due to recessionary pressures. Employers are banking on these plans as ways to save on health car…
Sorting out the complexities of healthcare reform has kept health plans and employer groups busy this enrollment season, overshadowing the typical product innovation seen this time of year. Financiall…
Thanks to healthcare reform, prodding by the federal government and new benefit designs, we’re seeing substantial changes in store with the market.With the rollout of new Medicare plans for 2011, we’r…
Massachusetts, continuing to look for answers to its escalating heatlhcare costs, has passed legislation requring insurers to offer a limited network option for small employers–apparantly modeled off…
The asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) market represents a brand-dominated market that could face substantial changes over the next few years by the possible arrival of generic me…
Pennsylvania's commercial insurance market suffered in 2009 as employment losses and the rising cost of employer-based health insurance forced many to drop coverage. The state's major communit…