Tufts Senior VP Appointed By Romney Administration To Head Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, USA

As expected, Jon Kingsdale, a senior vice president of policy development at Tufts Health Plan was appointed by the Romney administration as head of the Common Health Insurance Connector Authority, the Boston Globe reports (Krasner, Boston Globe, 5/26). Under the…

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High-Deductible Health Plans Growing In Popularity Among Large Companies, USA

The Detroit Free Press on Tuesday examined health savings accounts and how many automakers and other large U.S. companies are offering employees the option of high-deductible health plans with HSAs. According to America’s Health Insurance Plans, 3.2 million U.S. employees…

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Washington Post Examines Concerns Over Potential Misuse Of Prescription Drugs Caused By Advertisements

The Washington Post on Tuesday examined concerns raised by critics about prescription drug advertisements “taking something that is within normal bounds and labeling it a disease needing pharmaceutical treatment.” The Post profiles recent GlaxoSmithKline ads for Requip, a medication approved…

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Pennsylvania Managed Care Companies Push For Higher Medicaid Reimbursements

Insurance companies operating managed care plans under Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program are objecting to a proposed payment increase that they say is too low to keep up with growing medical expenses, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gov. Ed Rendell’s (D) fiscal year…

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San Francisco Chronicle Examines Use Of Pill-Splitting Programs By Health Insurers

The San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday examined how several large insurers are “encouraging patients to save money by splitting their pills in half.” Consumers can save on copayments by cutting pills in half because pharmaceutical companies typically charge the same…

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Some Patient Groups Have Financial Ties To Pharmaceutical Companies

The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday examined how “many patient groups and drug companies maintain close, multimillion-dollar relationships while disclosing limited or no details about the ties.” According to the Inquirer, “such coziness raises questions about the impartiality of groups that…

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