U.S. Employers Double Down on Controlling Healthcare Costs, Enhancing Affordability

Two out of three U.S. employers (67%) plan to prioritize controlling rising healthcare benefit costs over the next three years. And with many employers expecting costs to rise steadily in the foreseeable future, they are pursuing several initiatives to manage costs and make benefits more affordable for employees. These are among the key findings in… Continue reading U.S. Employers Double Down on Controlling Healthcare Costs, Enhancing Affordability

Chicago’s Holly Waldhoff Joins Alliant’s Employee Benefits Group

Alliant has added employee benefits consultant Holly Waldhoff as Vice President within its Employee Benefits Group. Based in Chicago, Waldhoff will create a full range of strategic employee benefits solutions for a diverse portfolio of clients. “Holly’s expertise across multiple facets of the benefits landscape will serve as a powerful resource for our team in… Continue reading Chicago’s Holly Waldhoff Joins Alliant’s Employee Benefits Group

Global Health Care Benefit Cost Increases Will Vary Widely in 2020: WTW

health insurance costs 2024

Employer-sponsored health care benefit cost increases are expected to vary widely around the globe in 2020, according to a survey of medical insurers by Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company. The survey found mental health conditions are expected to become one of the most significant cost factors over the next… Continue reading Global Health Care Benefit Cost Increases Will Vary Widely in 2020: WTW

With Health Care Costs Projected to Rise Another 5% in 2020, Employers Look to New Strategies to Control Costs

Curbing the cost of health care and increasing its affordability remain the top priorities for almost all employers over the next three years (93%), according to the 24th annual Best Practices in Health Care Employer Survey by Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company. Yet nearly two in three (63%) employers… Continue reading With Health Care Costs Projected to Rise Another 5% in 2020, Employers Look to New Strategies to Control Costs

About 25% of Total U.S. Health Care Spending Is Waste: Study

health insurance costs 2024

In a Special Communication published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers from Humana Inc. and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine estimated the cost of waste in the United States (U.S.) health system. The study found that approximately 25 percent of health care spending can be characterized as waste –… Continue reading About 25% of Total U.S. Health Care Spending Is Waste: Study

New Study Looks at Whether Higher Health Insurance Deductibles Mean More Workers Comp Claims

A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) examines whether employees injured at work are more likely to file under workers’ compensation instead of group health insurance when their group health plan has a higher deductible. The study has great relevance since the number of workers in health insurance plans with high deductibles… Continue reading New Study Looks at Whether Higher Health Insurance Deductibles Mean More Workers Comp Claims

Trump Targets Rebates to PBMs to Lower Drug Costs

Prescription Drugs

The Trump administration proposed ending a complex system of drug rebates that influence tens of billions of dollars in U.S. pharmaceutical spending, a move that could upend the relationship between drugmakers and pharmacy benefits middlemen. The proposal, a long-awaited part of the administration’s plan to target high list prices of drugs, would ban rebates paid… Continue reading Trump Targets Rebates to PBMs to Lower Drug Costs

Alliant’s Aaron Pottichen Named a “Young Gun” by the National Association of Plan Advisors

Alliant Retirement Consulting, a division of Alliant Insurance Services, has announced that Senior Vice President Aaron Pottichen has been named a 2019 “Young Gun” by the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). The prestigious list recognizes the top plan advisors under 40 years of age and spans a national field of honorees. NAPA is an… Continue reading Alliant’s Aaron Pottichen Named a “Young Gun” by the National Association of Plan Advisors

Cigna’s Algorithms Aim to Predict Opioid Abuse

Three open bottles of prescription medication.

Cigna Corp. is using artificial intelligence to predict whether patients might abuse and or overdose on prescription opioids as part of the company’s commitment to reducing the substance’s use among its consumers, said Mark Boxer, executive vice president and global chief information officer. Cigna’s proprietary algorithms are aided by the use of machine learning, a… Continue reading Cigna’s Algorithms Aim to Predict Opioid Abuse