from our friends at globalnewswire Low unemployment, shifting employee priorities and the work-from-anywhere marketplace pose new staffing challenges for employers, according to a recent national survey of employee benefits brokers and advisors. Conducted by IdentityForce, a TransUnion brand, the annual survey — now in its sixth year — revealed employers are most concerned with: Concerns about the digital safety of … Read More

from our friends at Yahoo News With home insurers scaling back coverage in the state, enrollment is surging in California’s backstop insurance plan — as is the plan’s risk of sustaining losses that it can’t cover. Victoria Roach, president of the FAIR Plan Assn., told lawmakers this week that property owners even in areas with low wildfire risk were finding … Read More

from our friends at Medicare Rights Center A new study from University of Southern California (USC) researchers shows that Medicare Part D plans have been increasingly restricting access to some prescription drugs through the years. Plans have used prior authorization, step therapy, and formulary restrictions to curb beneficiaries’ ability to take certain important prescriptions. The study covered 10 years, from … Read More

from our friends at: The Washington Post Tai chi, a gentle Chinese martial art involving slow movements, outperformed moderate aerobic exercise in lowering blood pressure in a recent clinical trial. An analysis, published in JAMA Network Open, tracked 342 18- to 65-year-olds with prehypertension, or blood pressure that is slightly higher than normal, between late July 2019 and mid-January 2022. … Read More

from our friends at: Healthcare.gov Internal appeals There are 3 steps in the internal appeals process: You must file your internal appeal within 180 days (6 months) of receiving notice that your claim was denied. If you have an urgent health situation, you can ask for an external review at the same time as your internal appeal. If your insurance … Read More

from our friends at: WebMD What Is Dental Insurance? Dental insurance is insurance that covers dental health and care. Because dental health, also called oral health, is important to your overall health, you may want to get dental insurance to help you pay for the cost of your dental care. You can purchase dental insurance as part of a medical … Read More

from our friends at: Specialty Pharmacy Continuum Concerns are growing about the increasing use of artificial intelligence to review—and in many cases deny—healthcare claims, sparking a congressional inquiry and lawsuits. Thirty-two legislators sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Nov. 3, 2023, urging increased oversight of the use of these tools in Medicare Advantage … Read More

from our friends at: CNBC A state legislator introduced a first-of-its-kind bill Tuesday that would ban seven additives from the foods that are served in California’s public schools. Assembly Bill 2316 would prohibit school cafeterias from offering foods containing six artificial food dyes that have been linked to hyperactivity and behavioral issues in some children. It would also outlaw titanium … Read More

February 13, 2024 | Source: Capital & Main, by Mark Kreidler For most California residents, and the vast majority of the state’s lower income workers, the cost of health insurance has been running away from them for years. That’s hardly news to anyone who has actually used their health policy in the recent past. But the health care squeeze is … Read More