As we note the latest health care reform news on this blog, we often use the phrase “health insurance exchange” to describe a government-run place where individuals and small businesses can compare and purchase health care plans. Little did… more »

The Food and Drug Administration is all over the news today: An FDA advisory panel has recommended approval of the drug Truvada to prevent the spread of HIV infection in high-risk, healthy people, WebMD reports. The Antiviral Drugs Advisory… more »

Lengthy commutes can do more than drive up your gas budget – it may raise your weight as well, according to a new study. ABC News reports that people who drive long distances to work tend to be more overweight than non-commuters. In reviewing the… more »

Some larger employers are experimenting with a different take on pharmaceutical benefits – one that pays for drugs based on their potential to prevent higher medical costs in the future. An NPR story says that the approach, known as value-based… more »

Some dire predictions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Not only will the number of overweight Americans continue to grow, the proportion considered “severely obese” will be more than double the current rate by 2030. The… more »

A recent Associated Press article says that if the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act, employers and insurance companies will drive future health care reform law. And should that scenario come to pass, experts expect that:… more »

A rising number of early induced deliveries is affecting employer health care costs, Employee Benefit News reports. While there is a definite need for some babies to be induced before full term (40 weeks gestation) because of medical reasons, a recent… more »

The number of scarce drugs is still higher than anyone would like, but the situation has definitely improved since last year. According to the Food and Drug Administration, 42 new shortages have been reported so far this year, compared to 90 in the same… more »

The Supreme Court may have already decided the fate of the Affordable Care Act – and to the surprise of many, there’s a halfway decent chance that the entire law could be thrown out. Which would suit many Republicans in Congress just fine.… more »

Jogging regularly can improve your life expectancy, a new long-term study suggests. According to HealthDay, Danish researchers compared the mortality of joggers and non-joggers who took part in the population study of 20,000 people aged 20 to 93 that… more »

In 2007, MedBen launched a Worksite Wellness with a simple idea – detect and treat health risks as early as possible. Five years later, employers who have put the plan in place are seeing real results. At last week’s Wellness Conference,… more »

One positive outcome of the health care reform law that’s hard to dispute: a heightened effort to crack down on Medicare fraud. Last year, the federal government recovered a record $4.1 billion in fraudulent health care payments. And yesterday,… more »

The high acidity levels in sports and energy drinks can erode tooth enamel, according to a recent study published in the journal General Dentistry. Teenagers, many of who consume such drinks on a daily basis, are in particular danger of doing… more »

In 2007, MedBen launched a Worksite Wellness with a simple idea – detect and treat health risks as early as possible. Five years later, employers who have put the plan in place are seeing real results. At last week’s Wellness Conference,… more »

It’s universally accepted that proper diet and exercise can help people stay in shape. Also benefical in keeping off the pounds – an extra hour or two sleep each day. And a new study suggests that slumber habits can actually modify genetic… more »

As this chart from The New York Times shows, health care spending has slowed dramatically over the past ten years. So what’s responsible for this trend? Certainly, the recession has played a major role, as many people have reduced the frequency… more »

One of the weightier questions that would arise if the Supreme Court strikes down the individual mandate: What becomes of state health exchanges? Should the justices find the requirement that most Americans buy insurance to be unconstitutional, the… more »

On Friday, the IRS released the cost-of-living adjustments affecting health savings accounts (HSAs) for calendar year 2013. The HSA contribution limits and high-deductible health plan (HDHP) out-of-pocket maximums will both increase. The HDHP minimum… more »

As we noted here a few weeks ago, the nationwide obesity epidemic adds almost $190 billion a year to U.S. medical costs – acounting for over 20% of total U.S. health spending. But as Sharon Begley of Reuters details, medical expenses tell only one… more »

On Thursday, April 26, MedBen clients and other guests filled the new MedBen Conference Center for the 10th Annual Hospital Roundtable. For the first time, MedBen also held its yearly Wellness Conference on the same day, for the convenience of clients… more »