UnitedHealthcare Pharmacy Benefit Updates Effective May 1, 2020

Administrator
UnitedHealthcare updates its Prescription Drug List (PDL) to stay up-to-date with current market trends, price changes, and new clinical information. Impacted employees will receive a letter 30-60 days prior to the effective date. You can also encourage them to visit myuhc.com to find lower-cost medications with greater health care value. Read More

Crossing the Border for Drug Savings? 1 in 4 Adults Say It Is Difficult to Afford Their Prescription Drugs

Administrator
Just like my last post about Medicare-for-all and utilization costs…   Foreign travel is an approach one advisor used to control costs for a self-funded client, securing a 6-month supply of medication for a fraction of the cost in the US.  Why are Democrats pushing Medicare-for-All when citizens can source prescription drugs for 70% less in other countries?  We are... Read More

Senators say they’re serious about tackling surprise medical bills

Administrator
If you have an emergency, you often don’t have a choice about which provider treats you.  HMOs offer in-network coverage only.  High deductible health plans (HDHPs) may or may not have out-of-network options. Hospitals need to set the tone.  When an emergency department hires non-contracted providers, they must accept the insurance carriers with which the hospital is contracted.  If the... Read More

Healthcare Industry Hand Hygiene Compliance: Zero Tolerance

Administrator
The American Journal of Infection Control recently published a study on hand hygiene compliance (HHC) among healthcare workers. Here are some key findings from the report: Hand hygiene compliance was 91% for health workers observed overtly. For workers who were observed covertly, hand hygiene compliance was 49.3%. HHC based on covert observation increased to 66.9% after an intervention.   To... Read More

US Healthcare Spending to Climb 5.3% in 2018

Administrator
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services projected mid-February that US healthcare spending would increase 5.3% in 2018.   Factors affecting this increase include: Rising prices of medical goods and services Higher Medicaid costs Ageing baby-boom population driving Medicare enrollent More disposable personal income Spending in 2016 rose 4.3 percent and spending in 2017 rose 4.6 percent (originally projected at... Read More