MedBen helped current and prospective clients gain a better understanding of how to comply with a critical health care reform mandate at two workshops on November 16 and 17. Mike Ankrum, Sr. Healthcare Reform Consultant for Five Points ICT. and… more »

Kurt Harden, President and Chief Operating Officer of MedBen, chaired the 2015 Healthcare Bundled Payment Conference held November 12 and 13 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The conference featured speakers from The Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Healthcare,… more »

Last month on this blog, we posted that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been investigating the inappropriate placement of implantable cardiac devices (ICDs) in Medicare patients. The DOJ recently provided additional details about the results of its… more »

When it comes to benefits incentives that help to recruit and retain employees, health care coverage leads the way by a sizable margin, a recent survey reveals. Overall, 38% of respondents to 2015 Strategic Benefits Survey said that they used benefits… more »

Last year, the Supreme Court narrowly ruled that certain businesses could request a religious exemption from covering women's contraceptives under their health plans. But today, the court accepted an additional challenge to the birth control mandate:… more »

Pharmaceutical use shows no sign of slowing, with nearly 60% of Americans using prescription drugs in 2011, new research finds. According to Reuters Health, a multi-year study revealed that prescription drug users rose from 51% of U.S. adults in 1999… more »

However obvious it may seem, it bears repeating that the most effective wellness is frequently also the most basic. Case in post: newly released research pitting healthy lifestyles vs. medicine. According to Reuters Health, a 15-year diabetes study… more »

In the months -- more precisely, years -- leading up to the October 1 implementation of the ICD-10 medical coding system, there was no small amount of concern as to whether the massive increase in codes would create claims inaccuracies and turnaround… more »

Many people covered under the health insurance marketplaces will find themselves with fewer plan options in 2016, as nearly a third of health insurance plans created under the Affordable Care Act have closed or are closing soon. According to The… more »

November means autumn leaves, turkey, football – and of course, Transitional Reinsurance (TR) reporting to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). During November, self-funded plan sponsors must provide their TR report to CMS and, in turn,… more »

Even though the idea of repealing the "Cadillac" Tax has increasing support from Republicans and Democrats alike, the resulting budget shortfall means that President Obama would probably veto even a bipartisan bill. With that in mind, Bill Sweetnam of… more »

Oncologists are becoming increasingly resistant about prescribing expensive last-resort cancer drugs that provide little or no benefits, Reuters reports. In interviews, top cancer specialists say at least a half-dozen drugs, including colon cancer… more »

The IRS has released the finalized versions of the forms that employers can use to comply with Affordable Care Act rules. Under the employer mandate, businesses must certify the coverage offered to their employees. Form 1094-B -- Transmittal of… more »

The federal government is currently challenging hospitals regarding excessive and inappropriate use of implantable cardiac devices (ICDs)... the same excessive and inappropriate use MedBen has been catching for years. According to Modern Healthcare,… more »

Today the day when providers begin using the new ICD-10 medical coding system. The rollout comes after multiple deadline extensions -- but all along, MedBen has been preparing for the changeover and is ready to handle the new codes. The new system… more »

From 2008 through 2014, average U.S. prices for the most widely used brand-name drugs jumped 128%, according to prescription benefit manager Express Scripts. Not surprisingly, part of that increase is due to expensive new drugs that can cost as much as… more »

The drumbeat to repeal the Affordable Care Act's "Cadillac tax" is growing louder... and now includes a presidential candidate. BenefitsPro reports that Independent Senator Bernie Sanders has joined seven Democrats in sponsoring a repeal measure. They… more »

Good news for those of you who got a flu shot in 2014 but still got sick: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that this year's vaccine should be more successful in helping you battle the bug. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the… more »

As you know, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its supporting regulations require that all employers offering health benefits to their employees report on certain health coverage information. Health coverage data collected during 2015 must be aggregated… more »

"Members of Congress from both parties [...] are calling for changes in the Affordable Care Act to prevent premium increases that are expected to affect workers at many small and midsize companies next year," The New York Times reports: "At issue is a… more »