Oct 7, 2022 | Managed Care Friday
4: Percent increase in suicides in 2021 compared to 2020, according to provisional data released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Experts are worried that after declining rates in 2019 and 2020, rates are increasing again. The report found that males ages 15 to 24 continue to be at higher risk than other groups, but there was a worrying 16% increase among middle-school-aged girls. In a smaller study, CVS Health recently reported a 32% increase in suicides among their members aged 13 to 17 and in response, is partnering with virtual mental health companies targeting...
Sep 30, 2022 | Managed Care Friday
18: The percentage of Americans who have skipped a medical appointment or filling prescription drugs in the past six months because of financial strain, according to a new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll. The percentage of respondents answering yes to these questions was higher among those with lower incomes. 30% who make less than $25,000 a year said they had skipped a medical appointment or prescription in the past six months, while 21% of those who made $25,000 to $50,000 a year answered the same. Just 9% reported delaying or skipping paying medical bills or insurance costs in the past six...
Sep 23, 2022 | Managed Care Friday
2,380: The average annual spending in dollars on mental health services by individuals in employer-sponsored health plans in 2020, up 20% compared to 2013. A report from the Employer Benefit Research Institute has tracked mental health spending over time and found that overall spending on mental health care services as a percentage of total spending increased 8.2% in 2020, up from 6.8% in 2013. Though spending rose overall, some services decreased - prescription drug costs actually dropped 15% from 2013 to 2020, while outpatient visit spending rose 37%. Testing Virtual “Efficacy”: As trendy...
Sep 16, 2022 | Managed Care Friday
$43.9b: The amount spent on outpatient drugs through the 340B program in 2021, according to a new government breakdown of spending. Disproportionate share hospitals are the largest purchaser of 340B drugs by far, followed by children’s hospitals, rural referral centers, and Ryan White programs. The difference between list prices for drugs and discounted 340B purchases grew to $49.7b, per Drug Channels. Mind Games: A collaboration between Highmark Wholecare, the health plan’s Medicaid and Medicare division, and Posit Science aims to utilize brain training software to prevent falls. By...
Sep 9, 2022 | Managed Care Friday
22.2: Cents of every insurance premium dollar spent in 2020 went to prescription drugs, up from 21.5 cents in 2018, according to a recent analysis of commercial insurance claims from AHIP. Spending on hospital inpatient and outpatient costs held steady compared to 2018, making up a combined 38.9 cents of every dollar, while other medical costs, like physician office visits and ER trips, made up 21 cents on the dollar and the rest went to insurers’ administrative and operating costs and profits. Isolation: Independence BCBS recently launched a new initiative aimed at addressing loneliness and...
Sep 2, 2022 | Managed Care Friday
56: Percent of 8,806 college students we polled who said they’ve skipped going to the clinic despite sore throats and congestion for fear of being quarantined and “miss the home opener” or frat-sorority “darty” – a daytime party in the quad, which is a term I did not know about until the kids filled me in. This is “the worst kind of mental health for a college kid” one sophomore said. A far greater portion of freshmen – around 75% - have avoided going to see a doctor or clinic because they live in “on-campus” dorms, so a positive Covid test is like getting grounded by your folks on a spring...
