“There’s not one definition of a specialty drug…specialty drugs have a vague group of criteria that many times isn’t clear. You have to find out how your plan defines specialty drugs. If you find generic drugs on a specialty list, you need the right people by your side to fix that.” — Vinay Patel, founder of Mako-Rx
Read MoreA simple cup of hot tea. What can it do for you? It could compete with a soon to be trillion-dollar industry. GLP-1s or “semaglutide” as some call it, has taken the US by storm and will make its way across first-world countries soon enough. Its makers are already making billions per year in the US. It won’t be long before billions become trillions. Read on for more.
Read MorePatients who receive medical balance bills are ill-prepared to decipher what they’re being billed for and why. If there’s any chronic disease more prevalent than healthcare “pricing toxicity”, we don’t know what that might be. Plenty of us calling for transparency in healthcare throw the term “payment integrity” on the table as often as possible. If we stop talking about it, then the predatory billers win…and we just can’t have that.
Read MoreSpoiler alert. Intermittent fasting and consistent exercise will give you the same results but with better health as an ultimate outcome...not worse health because of a drug your body didn't really need. This week’s article in BenefitsPro about the 10K patients who are suing the makers of the GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy was inevitable.
Read MoreI’m not a huge fan of SciFi as a genre. Mainly because I don’t identify with the future state that’s controlled by robots and I don’t want to admit that our futures are a grim reality of the outcomes of our current day choices. When I read, “2060” by Dr. Richard Young, it made me realize that I need to grow up, grow a spine, grow a pair…whatever your cliche for “pull up your big girl pants and fix this thing” is. Our healthcare system is going to eat up every possible dollar there is to spend on infrastructure, education, quality of life and more if we don’t do something. Listen to Cristy Gupton and Dr. Young talk about his latest book and pick up a copy right away. You won’t regret this eye-opening glimpse into our futures if we stay still.
Read MoreHealthcare is consistently the #2 or #3 highest expense on an employer’s balance sheet. There’s no denying that you’re in the healthcare business even if you don’t think you are. That’s why it’s important to view your organization’s healthcare spend as every other high-cost expenditure you have and manage it accordingly. After all, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) require you to pay close attention to it. Step one? Listen to this podcast with Cristy Gupton and Kari Niblack as they give you food for thought regarding your employee health plan.
Read More
