Medicare Creditable Coverage Part D Notification Requirements Creditable coverage is prescription drug coverage that meets certain standards set by CMS. Medicare beneficiaries without creditable coverage may pay a higher premium for Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage. What Are The Notification Requirements? Each year, plans that offer prescription drug coverage to their Medicare-eligible members must…

Health Insurance began during the Great Depression Era because hospitals and physicians needed a way to guarantee payment. However, private health insurance through employers grew rapidly from 1940 to 1960 due to several favorable laws. At the beginning of World War II only 7% of the United States population had health insurance. By 1960 that…

Biden Admin Asks Employer Group Health Plan Sponsors to Extend Qualifying Event Periods The Biden Administration has asked employer group health plan sponsors to extend their special enrollment periods for people who lose Medicaid or CHIP eligibility. This is because millions of Americans are expected to lose access to these programs in the next nine…

New Jersey Passes Prescription Drug Reform Legislation New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy signed a trio of bills on July 10, 2023, to combat high prescription drug costs. The legislation includes capping medication prices for state-regulated public employee plans, regulating pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and enhancing prescription drug price transparency. These measures will be phased in…

Highmark Offering Plans for Larger Groups in South Eastern PA Highmark Blue Shield Southeastern Pennsylvania is a health insurance company that was founded in 1996 by the merger of two Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Blue Shield. The company provides health insurance to over 1.1 million members in…

New PA Law Mandates Coverage for Cancer Screenings Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro enacted S.B. 8 into law on May 1, 2023, mandating that health insurers providing fully insured coverage in the state must cover certain cancer screenings without any additional charges. This legislation, named Act One of 2023, received unanimous approval from both the House…