New Mental Health Parity Rules Expected in 2025
At the Municipality & Public Employer Roundtable on April 24, MedBen Senior Vice President Caroline Fraker discussed mental health parity and how proposed rules are expected to affect self-funded employers in 2025. "Mental health and substance use disorder...
WellLiving Clients: Are Your Members Checking Their Wellness Compliance?
Through early detection and prevention of chronic conditions, MedBen WellLiving clients spend, on average, 6.3% less than non-WellLiving clients. But a proactive strategy is most effective when members are encouraged to schedule recommended wellness exams and...
Humira Biosimilar Program Sees Over $3 Million in Annualized Client Savings
Last year, MedBen Rx announced a new program that would enable clients to purchase Idacio, a biosimilar version of the anti-inflammatory therapy Humira – a drug that typically costs between $6,000 and $12,000 per month depending on the dose – for under $1,000 per...
Fair Market Reimbursement Provides Maximum Savings with Minimal Noise
At the Private Employer Roundtable on April 11, Regional Sales Director Brooke Hupp highlighted alternative reimbursement strategies that reduce health care costs, including MedBen's newest strategy, Fair Market Reimbursement (FMR). This innovative approach maximizes...
CMS Announces 2025 Medicare Part D Final Rules Affecting Health Plan Credibility
On April 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Announcement of Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies (the “Rate Announcement”). The Rate Announcement...
Primary Care and “Essential 8” Keys to Preventing Health Disease
Regular primary care visits are crucial to preventing chronic heart conditions, a new study of personal health habits suggests. Jeremy Sussman of the University of Michigan Department of Internal Medicine said, "As a society, we need to recognize that preventing...
Going “Beyond the Discount” Saves Client 56% on Claims Cost
Claim savings don’t have to end with the PPO network discount. With MedBen's forensic claims review services, savings are produced after network discounts are applied, but before claims are paid. As the case study below shows, while PPO network discounts alone will...
Telehealth Visits Decline, But Remain Above Pre-Pandemic Levels
It should comes as no surprise that telehealth visits saw a big upswing in early 2020, as COVID-19 began to spread. As the pandemic subsided, telehealth visits slowly dropped but still retain residual popularity. The graph below shows bimonthly telehealth utilization...
Maximize FSA/HRA Effectiveness with Member Online Services
A flexible spending account (FSA) member can save up to 30% for every dollar they contribute. Likewise, health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) members can greatly lower out-of-pocket costs by using their employer-funded plan to pay for medical expenses. But...
Fighting Back Against Chronic Condition Costs… Physical AND Financial
The cost of five major chronic conditions, in physical and financial terms: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, and cost the U.S. $407.3 billion between 2018 to 2019.Between 2017 and 2020, 10% of adults age 20 or...
More Gene Therapies Available, But Cost Remains a Concern
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 "solving the...
How Many of Your ER Visits Are Avoidable?
For MedBen clients in 2023, 16% of emergency room visits were potentially avoidable… typically for conditions that could have been better managed in a more cost-effective setting. A visit to an urgent care facility or family doctor cost, on average, $1,582 less than...