healthcare costs News

Cypress Benefit Administrators Adds Captive Health Insurance for Employers

Cypress Benefit Administrators, a national third party administrator (TPA) based in Appleton, Wisc., and with locations in Portland, Ore., Omaha, Neb. and Pueblo, Colo., has launched CypressCap group captive insurance option for employers with 50 or more employees. With healthcare …

Health Plan Cost Rate Hikes Lower for Large Employers in 2012: Aon

In 2012, large U.S. companies and their employees saw the lowest health care premium rate increases in six years, according to an analysis by Aon Hewitt, the global human resources firm. The average health care premium rate increase for large …

Employers Committed to Offering Health Plans; Cost Seen Going Up 5.3% in 2013

Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision on health care reform, most employers (88 percent) have affirmed their commitment to offer health care benefits to their active employees for the foreseeable future, according to a survey of 440 midsize to large …

Healthcare Costs for Insured American Family Top $20K in 2012: Milliman

The average cost of healthcare for a typical American family of four in an employer- sponsored health plan in 2012 is $20,728. That is a 6.9 percent increase over the 2011 total but the lowest rate of increase in the …

As America’s Waistline Expands, Costs Soar

U.S. hospitals are ripping out wall-mounted toilets and replacing them with floor models to better support obese patients. The Federal Transit Administration wants buses to be tested for the impact of heavier riders on steering and braking. Cars are burning …

Hospital Pay Incentives Not Improving Patient Outcomes: Study

A program to pay hospitals bonuses for hitting key performance measures, or dock them if they miss, failed to improve the health outcomes of patients, according to a large, long-term study. The study could lead to a re-examination of financial …

U.S. Seeks Ways to Reduce Excessive Medical Testing

A leading group of U.S. doctors is trying to tackle the costly problem of excessive medical testing, hoping to avoid more government intervention in how they practice. The American College of Physicians (ACP), the largest U.S. medical specialty group, is …

Should Insurers Cover Experimental Treatments?

When your health insurance provider denies an experimental treatment or a high-cost drug, how much are you willing to pay for the care you believe you need? Barby Ingle, a former cheerleading and dance coach at Washington University who now …

Employers Rewarded for Insuring Early Retirees Under Healthcare Reform

When President Barack Obama signed his healthcare overhaul into law a year ago, some U.S. companies were quick to flag — and write down — the millions of dollars they stood to lose as a result of one aspect of …