Mental Health Parity Compliance: Too Much is Not Enough!
On July 10, 2023, the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) received the Department of Labor’s newly proposed Mental Health Parity regulations. This latest installment in health plan Mental Health Parity compliance is expected to be released in the near...
Popular Weight Loss Drugs Among Medicare Top 10 Sellers
A Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis of the 10 top-selling prescription drugs under Medicare Part D offers an interesting snapshot of pharmacy spend. The drugs in question comprised less than 1% of all covered drugs in 2021, but made up approximately 22% of total...
Survey: Half of Cancers Detected through Wellness Exams and Screenings
A new Aflac Wellness Matters survey found that about 1 in 4 employed adults in the U.S. skip regular checkups because they feel healthy, don't have the time, or don't like going to the doctor (among other reasons cited). Also, nearly half of adults said they have...
Summer’s an Ideal Time to Check FSA Funds
Hard though it may be to believe, we're more than halfway through 2023. For flexible spending account (FSA) users, it's an opportune time to check balances and stock up on summer supplies that can be purchased with FSA funds. FSA Store offers a variety of...
Beating National Cost Trends with Proven Saving Solutions
Medical costs are expected to increase 7% in 2024, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). This would match the largest single-year increase since the beginning of the pandemic. “The higher medical cost trend in 2024 reflects health plans’...
Transparency, Value Commitment Counter PBM Concerns
A new playbook from the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions lists the top 10 concerns employer health plans have with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs): Promoting drugs with higher prices when lower-price options are availableOffering preferred...
MedBen Access Continually Adding New Features
MedBen continually strives to improve our MedBen Access online service and mobile app, with the goal of making it your one stop for claims and benefits information. In the past year, MedBen Access has introduced the following features (links open to feature...
Worldwide Diabetes Rate Expected to Double by 2050
The growing obesity problem, coupled with an aging population, will more than double the number of people with diabetes in just over 25 years, according to a new study published in the Lancet medical journal. Researchers estimate that worldwide, more than 1.3 million...
Direct-to-Employer Contracting Offers Unique Advantages
More self-funded employers are considering contracting directly with health systems and hospitals – and for good reason. Not only does direct-to-employer contracting offer better pricing than traditional PPOs, it offers advantages not found in other types of...
Defy the Chronic Condition Odds with Wellness Compliance
Did you know that, historically... 76% of all office visits,81% of all inpatient admissions, and91% of all Rx prescriptions ... are related to one or more of these chronic conditions? AsthmaCholesterolDiabetesHeart diseaseHypertension However, there is a simple yet...
Bellis Named Controller
MedBen is pleased to announce that SueMarie Bellis has been promoted to Controller. In her new position, she will oversee the daily activities of the Accounting Department and manage the preparation of MedBen's financial statements, payables and receivables. "SueMarie...
Step #1 to Better Health: Get Some Sleep!
If sheer volume of analysis is any gauge of interest, then the value of a good night's sleep is of intense fascination to researchers. In 2023 alone, various studies have suggested that a lack of sleep... Can put you at a higher risk of heart disease.Makes it harder...