Mitt Romney has vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act if elected president next week – a promise that, as we noted on this blog several months ago, is easier said than done. So assuming that immediate and total repeal is off the table, what… more »

A Wall Street Journal article serves as a convenient reminder to flexible spending account members that we’re fast approaching “use-it-or-lose-it” time for any remaining funds. Qualified medical purchases made on or before December… more »

In January 2013, many employers will be required to report the aggregate cost of employer-sponsored group health plan coverage for the 2012 calendar year on their employees’ 2012 W-2s. (Note that employers who filed less than 250 separate W-2s for 2011… more »

On its company blog, MedBen’s cost containment partner inVentiv Medical Management (iMM) recently shared the story of 49 year-old from Alabama who suffered recurring episodes of a major depressive disorder. Following a request by an in-network… more »

Writing for KevinMD.com, internal medicine physician Toni Brayer reminds us that our risk of cancer is not “all in the genes”: Smoking, of course, greatly raises one’s odds of developing lung, throat, kidney, stomach and other… more »

Three MedBen employees, including Chairman of the Board & CEO Doug Freeman, were honored for 25 years of service at an employee appreciation luncheon on Friday, October 5. Employees who had reached other anniversary benchmarks were also recognized… more »

Despite rising obesity levels, the cholesterol levels of Americans have improved significantly over the past 20 years, according to a new government study. USA Today reports that the favorable trend may be attributable to a decreased intake of trans… more »

One of the health care reform’s more vaunted benefits – the ability to insure children up to age 26 – has resulted in higher costs to our men and women in uniform, Forbes magazine reports: “As any actuary could have explained to… more »

In the battle of the bulge, the team approach increases one’s odds of losing weight, a new report suggests. “Group-based weight-loss treatment produced weight loss, whether delivered by a professional or peer counselor,” said study… more »

If the information superhighway feels a little safer to navigate lately, thank the Food and Drug Administration. Working with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies from about 100 countries, the FDA has taken action against more than… more »

Ohio and Indiana are among 13 states that did not designate an essential health benefits, or EHB, benchmark by the October 1 deadline, according to a dispatch from the trade association America’s Health Insurance Plans. A provision of the Affordable… more »

An outbreak of fungal meningitis was apparently caused by tainted steriod injections, WebMD Health News reports. As of October 10, about 13,000 people in 23 states got the fungus-contaminated steroid pain shots, resulting in a total of 137 people who… more »

“PalMD”, an internal medicine physician, explains “Why I want to ration your health care“: “In the U.S. we practice medicine with complete irrationality. There are thousands of lives that can be saved by simple practices that so many… more »

Could extending the shelf life of prescription drugs help to lower health care costs? According to Reuters Health, Lee Cantrell – director of the California Poison Control System, San Diego Division, and a professor of clinical pharmacy at… more »

Medium-sized businesses will take the biggest hit in the wallet from the health care reform law, according to a new analysis from the Urban Institute. The Hill reports that employers who have between 101 and 1,000 workers would have seen a 9.5% jump in… more »

Marty Makary, a surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, believes that doctors and hospitals should be held more accountable for their mistakes. In The Wall Street Journal, he lists five “relatively simple – but crucial – reforms” the… more »

According to the 2012 Annual Survey of Employer Health Benefits by the Kaiser Family Foundation (and as reported by John Goodman’s Health Policy Blog), nearly one-third of businesses that provide health coverage offer a consumer-driven health plan… more »

An analysis of skin cancer patients revealed that the use of tanning beds significantly increases one’s risk of developing the disease, USA Today reports. Indoor tanners are 67% more likely to develop squamous-cell carcinomas – a… more »

According to WebMD, the Food and Drug Administration has announced that a generic version of the extended-relief antidepressant Wellbutrin XL doesn’t work correctly, and as such, has withdrawn its approval. Budeprion XL 150-mg tablets were… more »

On Friday, October 5, MedBen will be closing at 12:00 p.m. EST for a companywide recognition banquet. We will reopen on Monday, October 8 at 8:00 a.m. EST. Although our customer service department will be closed early that day, you can still get… more »

Allan Zaenger, President of Pharmaceutical Horizons, discussed “The Specialty Drug Dilemma” at a recent MedBen University. As Zaenger explained, even though generic dispensing has helped to keep price increases in check, the combination of… more »

Taking an extra vitamin D supplement to keep colds at bay? Research from New Zealand suggests it may not benefit you much. Reuters Health reports that the study randomly assigned two groups of adults to receive either a monthly dose of vitamin D… more »

The Food and Drug Administration recently alerted prescription drug users to two different types of consumer deception: Associated Press: “The [FDA] is warning U.S. consumers that the vast majority of Internet pharmacies are fraudulent and likely… more »