Over Half of U.S. Adults with Uncontrolled Hypertension Unaware of It, Study Indicates
More than half of U.S. adults with uncontrolled hypertension are unaware of it, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Uncontrolled hypertension is defined as blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg, which is either untreated or treatments have been...
Humira Costliest Drug for Self-Funded Plans, But GLP-1s are Gaining Ground
Humira continued to be the costliest prescription drug for self-funded health plans in 2023 by a comfortable margin, according to a recent Milliman commercial drug trends review. Used to treat a variety of conditions from Crohn’s to rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic...
ERISA Turns 50!
50 years ago – on September 2, 1974 – ERISA was signed into law by President Gerald R. Ford. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act has had a profound impact on how health benefits are provided to most working Americans. Despite its impact, the legislation...
Want “JOY”? Get MedBen Connect!
There's been a lot of talk this political season about the importance of "joy." Well, MedBen is all about joy... and we offer it in all caps, no less. "JOY" is an AI-powered virtual assistant available to users of MedBen Connect (powered by HealthJoy), our...
Dental Exams Reveal More Than Meets the Mouth
“A lot about someone’s overall health can be observed just by looking in their mouth,” says dentist and author Dr. Kami Hoss. “In fact, over 100 systemic conditions and many medications can have oral manifestations. This means that what happens in the mouth can often...
National Cost Trends Rising, But MedBen Consistently Outperforms Them
From PwC's "Behind the numbers 2025": "PwC is projecting an 8% year-on-year medical cost trend in 2025 for the Group market and 7.5% for the Individual market, driven by inflationary pressure, prescription drug spending and behavioral health utilization." The report...
FDA Rejects Psychedelic Drug MDMA As Treatment for PTSD
The potential for psychedelic drugs to serve legitimate medical purposes has become a growing topic of discussion. On August 9, the Food and Drug Administration rejected midomafetamine (MDMA), better known as ecstasy, as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder....
MedBen Closed September 2 in Observance of Labor Day
MedBen will be closed on Monday, September 2 in observance of Labor Day. We will reopen at 8:00 a.m. EDT Tuesday, September 3. Even when we’re closed, MedBen Access stays open. You can find fast answers for your claims and benefits questions by going to our online...
Primary Care Focus Beneficial to Specialists, Too
As we frequently emphasize here, building a professional relationship with a primary care physician helps them to detect and prevent chronic conditions as early as possible... indeed, this proactive strategy lies at the heart of our MedBen WellLiving program. But...
Looking for Plan Resources? Head to MedBen.com!
Next time you go to MedBen.com, we encourage you to spend a few minutes in the Resources area. There, you'll find a number of tools that helps administrators and members better manage their plan, including: Online Services – Links to MedBen sites that provide a...
Employers Continue to Rank Health Care as Most Important Employee Benefit
Employers continue to rank health care highest in importance of employee benefits, according to the 2024 SHRM Employee Benefits Survey. As shown in the graph below, 88% of respondents said they consider health care-related benefits to be “extremely important” or “very...
Greater Biosimilar Use Could Save U.S. $133 Billion in 2025
From a STAT opinion piece by Juliana M. Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum: "Biologic medicines are some of the most important drugs in the world. They are also among the most expensive. Biosimilars are FDA-approved treatments that are similar to...