Telehealth Visits Soar Over 13,000% in 2020
While it may come as no surprise that the use of telehealth in place of in-person office visits would jump during a pandemic, it may still shock you to know just how substantial that jump was in 2020: 13,187%. As the MedBen chart above indicates, telehealth pre-COVID...
MedBen University Conducts 15th Annual Municipality Roundtable
"From 2016 to 2020, MedBen’s municipality block averaged a minimal 1% annual trend on total claims costs," said MedBen VP of Sales & Marketing Brian Fargus at the MedBen University Virtual Municipality Roundtable on April 15. Over 75 clients and brokers attended...
CDC Urges Americans to Get Cancer Screenings
Radiation oncologists have seen an increase in new patients with advanced-stage cancers coming into clinics for treatment since the start of the pandemic. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging Americans to schedule recommended cancer...
New MedBen Rx Program Reduced Client Diabetic Drug Spend by 77%
MedBen Rx Comparative Effectiveness uses evidence-based research to make sure your members are taking the most effective drugs at the best cost. A MedBen Rx client recently changed their formulary by using Comparative Effectiveness to focus on drugs that would produce...
Masks and Hand Sanitizer Now FSA/HRA/HSA-Eligible
The IRS has announced that purchases of personal protective equipment (PPE) qualify for reimbursement under a health flexible spending account (FSA), health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), or health savings account (HSA). Eligible PPE products now include paper and...
Annual Broker Roundtable Kicks Off 2021 MedBen University Season
MedBen University (MBU) kicked off its 20th season with the annual Broker Roundtable. Like last year, this event was held virtually, with over 100 in attendance from five states. Topics for the roundtable included cost and utilization trends by industry and product,...
New Ohio Law Benefits Fully-Insured Employers
Good news for fully-insured employers: Under a new Ohio law, insurers are required to provide monthly claims data once a year to groups with 50 or more covered employees (effective July 1, 2021). For fully-insured employers, this new rule provides a better opportunity...
The Outbreak Period: Is the End Near?
On April 29, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor and the Treasury (the Departments) issued the “Final Rule,” which extended deadlines to elect COBRA, pay COBRA premiums, elect HIPAA special enrollments, and file benefit claims, appeals,...
Plan Sponsors Required to Offer COBRA Subsidies
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the ARPA) includes COBRA subsidy provisions aimed at making health plan coverage accessible and affordable. The ARPA creates a 6-month subsidy period (April 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021) during which certain “assistance eligible...
Alternative Reimbursement Strategies Continue to Beat Traditional PPO Plans
In 2020, MedBen alternative reimbursement strategies outperformed traditional PPO plans by 23.5%. Strategies like reference-based pricing (RBP) and direct-to-employer (DTE) contracting offer better pricing to employers and members. There are many RBP strategies...
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Complete the Checkup with Dental and Vision Coverages
Offering dental and vision coverages is about more than healthy eyes and teeth... it helps detect potentially catastrophic conditions early, too. HealthDay News: "Researchers found that older adults with the eye disease retinopathy were at increased risk of having a...