Dec 30, 2025 | Benefits preservation, Biosimilars, Client Feedback, Client Surveys, Direct-to-Employer Contracting, Forensic claims review, Innovations, Kurt Harden, MedBen Employees, Self-funding, Spending, Third party administration
On behalf of the MedBen team, I wish you a happy and healthy new year, and thank you for your continued trust in MedBen. Our commitment remains to be the benefits partner that employers prefer, and we value the opportunity to serve you. In my 35 years with MedBen,...
Jul 11, 2025 | Comparative Effectiveness, Cost Savings, Drug advertising, Drug costs, Health care costs, High-value formulary, MedBen Rx, Pharmacy, Rx Costs, Spending
Pharmaceutical advertising hit a record high in 2024, with the top 10 drugs accounting for $3.3 billion in ad spending – up nearly 20% from the previous year. With more campaigns directly targeting consumers, MedBen Rx’s high-value formulary educates members about...
Mar 18, 2024 | DNA, Drug costs, Drugmakers, Gene therapy, Health care costs, Rx Costs, Spending
Back in late 2022, MedBen spotlighted the growth of gene therapy, a transformative medical approach that potentially cures genetic disorders by correcting or replacing an individual’s DNA. As we noted, these therapies go beyond treatment to literally...
May 26, 2023 | Emergency Room (ER), Family doctors, Health care costs, Primary Care, Spending, Urgent Care
Two items of interest, both pertaining to health plan spending for emergency room visits: Facility fees for ER visits increased 531% from 2004 to 2021, according to a recent Peterson-KFF analysis. A greater range of treatments and more expensive technologies available...
Dec 22, 2022 | Lobbying, Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM), Prescription, Spending
A review of the biggest spenders in health care lobbying by OpenSecrets reveals that, in the leadup to the 2021-22 election cycle, 16 of the top 25 lobbyists were pharmaceutical & health product organizations (see table below). The top health care lobbyist,...
Aug 24, 2021 | Alternative Reimbursement Strategies, Cost Savings, Direct-to-Employer Contracting, Reference-Based Pricing, Spending
MedBen clients spend an average of 23.5% less when using direct-to-employer contracting (DTE) or reference-based pricing (RBP) plans. But how do our alternative reimbursement strategies affect spending for specific types of patient care? For inpatient care, MedBen...
