The decision by the Supreme Court earlier this week to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act changes how health care benefits will be handled for same-sex couples under the Affordable Care Act, writes Matthew Sturdevant: “A person in a same-sex… more »

Potential evidence that one type of chronic condition raises the risk of other illnesses: People with heart failure are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, a new study suggests. Reuters Health reports that the study matched newly diagnosed heart… more »

The Food and Drug Adminstration is continuing to take action against online pharmacies that sell illegal drugs. Following last year’s shutdown of 18,000 shady websites, the agency announced that another 1,600 sites are out of business. CNN… more »

Micheal Edmond, a professor of internal medicine VCU Medical Center, offers his professional perspective on the problem of “presenteeism", or coming to work while under the weather: “While most humans inherently know that it’s not a good… more »

An aging and more chronically ill population, plus the lure of more lucrative specialty practives, has created a shortage of primary care physicians in the U.S. – and the forthcoming addition of millions of newly insured individuals promises to… more »

A new study suggests that cigarettes and surgery don’t mix – and simply quitting a couple months before a medical procedure won’t help, Reuters Health reports. Based on a post-surgery review of current smokers, former smokers who had quit at least a… more »

If your hospital of choice has a good track record for treating heart attack, pneumonia and congestive heart patients, chances are it also performs well for patients with other conditions – and these three mortality measures may be enough to… more »

Monitoring early stage prostate cancer is more effective and economical than performing surgery and radiation from the start, a new study finds. “Most of the men who are diagnosed in this country these days have low-risk prostate cancer,” said study… more »

The generic drug industry scored a major win yesterday, when the Supreme Court ruled that patients who claim to be injured by generics cannot sue the makers for the design of their drugs. According to The New York Times, the 5-to-4 decision overturned… more »

With childhood obesity more than tripling in American adolescents over the past 30 years, the need for parents to step in and take action has never been greater. But a new study suggests that rather than dwelling on their kid’s extra pounds, mom… more »

School may be out for the summer, but MedBen University remains in session! Our team of experts is traveling the Midwest to share its knowledge of health care benefits with employers of all sizes. At an MBU on June 25 in Lima, Ohio, MedBen Vice… more »

David Katz, MD, Director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center, says that the American Medical Association made a mistake in recognizing obesity as a disease: “The notion that obesity is a disease will inevitably invite a reliance on… more »

With over half of American adults relying on smartphones for everything from mapping trips to buying groceries, it should come as no surprise that many want to use their devices to make health care simpler. HealthDay News reports that many Americans… more »

The national average of claims incorrectly processed by heath plans dropped to 7.1% in 2013, according to a new National Health Insurer Report Card released by the American Medical Association (AMA). It contines a trend of falling inaccuracy rates, from… more »

A new study supports the importance of colon cancer screenings, HealthDay News reports. Researchers found that patients whose cancer was detected by a colonoscopy tended to be in an earlier stage at the time of diagnosis, and therefore had a better… more »

Following a statement by the Justice Department earlier this month that it would not appeal a federal judge’s order to allow girls of any age to buy Plan B One-Step without prescriptions, the Food and Drug Adminstration has approved expanded… more »

Every year thousands of patients undergo surgery they don’t need, according to the findings of a USA Today investigation. In some specialities, unnecessary surgeries might account for 10% to 20% of all operations. Six of the most common… more »

If you don’t take a prescription drug, chances are you know one or two people who do… or three, or four, or more, Drug Store News reports. According to a new study by the Mayo Clinich, nearly 70% of Americans use at least one prescription… more »

According to The Hill’s Healthwatch blog, legislation has been introduced in the Senate to modify the employer mandate in the Affordable Care Act. The mandate, which will take effect in 2014, requires businesses to offer health insurance to their… more »

Smarter use of prescription medications could have saved Americans $200 billion in 2012, according to a new study from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. These “avoidable costs", as the study calls them, lead to millions of unnecessary… more »

A recent government study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has found that the proportion of U.S. adult smoking has dropped to 18% within the last two years, the Associated Press reports. Overall smoking rates have fallen over the past… more »

The federal government could miss the October 1 deadline to enroll in health insurance exchanges, a report by the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) released today said. According to Reuters, the report noted that the key parts of the… more »

Health care costs will see slow growth next year, according to a new report by the accounting and consulting firm PwC. The Associated Press reports that the recend trend of lower cost increases will continue, in spite of an improving economy and the… more »

In a 5-3 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Federal Trade Commission can give additional scrutiny to so-called “pay-for-delay” arrangements between generic and brand-name drug companies, The New York Times reports. Justice… more »

In order to hold down health care plan costs, employers are considering new approaches to promoting plan member use of providers with the best medical outcomes, Business Insurance reports. According to an Aon Hewitt survey of about 800 large and… more »

With two-thirds of US adults defined as overweight or obese, The American Medical Association is considering whether to recognize obesity as a disease, Forbes reports. The potential classification has already created debate. “More widespread… more »

Employers aren’t overly optomistic that the Affordable Care Act will help their bottom line, finds a new survey by benefits consultant Mercer. According to The Wall Street Journal, just 9% of the 881companies surveyed feel the health care reform… more »

A recent Reuters article notes that at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology earlier this month, doctors “heard groundbreaking data on a new class of immune system boosters” that shrank tumors in patients with… more »

The MedBen Sales & Marketing Department is pleased to announce the recent addition of Kelly Thran to its team. A seasoned veteran of the benefits management company, Thran will serve as the department’s Marketing Project Coordinator. In her… more »

The fact that surgical costs differ from one hospital to another may not come a total surprise. But the recent introduction of a Medicare Provider Charge database by Health and Human Services, containing prices charged by more than 3,000 hospitals, has… more »

Prospective employee consider a company’s apporach to health and wellness when making a job decisions, a new survey reveals. According to Small Biz Advisor, the survey of approximately 1,300 businesses and 10,000 employees found that 87% claim… more »

Avik Roy warns Ohioans covered under individual health plans to prepare for some serious sticker shock next year: “Democrats continue to try to dismiss the evidence that Obamacare will dramatically increase the cost of insurance for people who buy it… more »

A recent study by Duke University School of Medicine supports findings that women who use oral contraceptives are less likely to develop ovarian cancer later in life, Reuters reports. Dr. Laura Havrilesky, who led the study, said, “It reinforces that… more »

Taken together, the leading causes of medical fraud cost employers $4.93 per member per year in unnecessary payments, according to a new study by Truven Health Analytics. Employee Benefit News listed the six most common factors that drive fraud in… more »

A new Swedish study suggests overweight and obese women are more likely to give birth prematurely, Reuters reports. The study, conducted by Dr. Sven Cnattingius of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, analyzed 1.6 million pregnant women and their… more »

In anticipation of the national changeover from current ICD-9 medical diagnosis and inpatient procedure codes to ICD-10 in 2014, MedBen has released this Readiness Statement: “MedBen will be fully compliant with the upcoming ICD-10 mandate by the… more »

Two dental cleanings a year may be overkill for some people – though most patients do benefit from semi-annual checkups, a new University of Michigan study suggests. According to HealthDay News (via WebMD), study author William Giannobile and… more »

The Justice Department recently stated it would stop fighting the order requiring it to remove age restrictions on over-the-counter sales of the “morning after” pill, the Associated Press reports. The Food and Drug Administration has instructed Teva,… more »

As we noted on Friday, State Representative Jay Hottinger, on behalf of the Ohio House of Representatives, presented MedBen with an official proclamation commemorating the company’s 75th birthday. The proclamation reads: OHIO HOUSE OF… more »

Clients, brokers and other invited VIPs joined MedBen employees at the Midland Theatre in Newark, Ohio on Monday, June 3 to celebrate the company’s 75th birthday. The event featured a private reception outside the theatre followed by a special concert… more »

A majority on a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted yesterday to ease safety restrictions on the former blockbuster diabetes pill Avandia, the Associated Press reports. The decision came after a new analysis suggested that the drug may not… more »

One of the leading causes of death today in the United States is a stroke, which is linked to approximately 129,500 deaths per year. But Americans can do a better job at preventing a stroke, which occurs when blood vessels burst or is blocked in the… more »

With just months to go before some major provisions of the Affordable Care Act go into effect, most public opinion of President Obama’s signature legislature continues to fall in the “against” camp. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal… more »

The aspirin in your medicine cabinet may just as good and effective as expensive blood-thinning medication for preventing blood clots after major surgery, a new study suggests. According to WebMD, researchers in Nova Scotia followed 778 patients who… more »

Several large employers, “will begin offering smaller employers… the option of so-called self-insurance in some markets later this year,” The Wall Street Journal recently reported: “For small businesses, being self-insured would… more »

Newer doesn’t always mean better, as the saying goes. (Actually, we’re not really sure if there is such a saying – but if not, there should be.) And pharmaceutical research on published yesterday drives the point home. According to… more »

A new study reveals that smokers cost employers $6,000 a year more than non-smokers, NBC News reports. In making this determination, lead researcher Micah Berman of Ohio State University and colleagues looked not only at costs of medical treatment for… more »