Teladoc and American Red Cross Partnership

Teladoc is one of the most influential innovations that the healthacare industry has seen in quite some time. Recently, they have teamed up with the American Red Cross to provide disaster victims with remote medical care through the leading telehealth platform. 

Courtesy of Teladoc: 

"Through this pilot collaboration, Teladoc will make its network of physicians available to people helped by the Red Cross whose access to health care providers has been limited or is unavailable after large-scale disasters."

"Teladoc’s virtual physician visit services will be made available via web, Teladoc’s mobile app and phone to address the primary health care needs of individuals affected by disasters. The consultations will make it possible for disaster victims to access needed health services during events in which distance and time are important factors."

Find out more on this partnership by reading the full article HERE. 

HORIZON Health Ventures is a healthcare cost management solutions company used by insurance brokers, employee benefit consultants, third-party administrators, insurance companies, and associations, to bring proven thought leadership and strategy to the management of their clients healthcare costs. To learn more about HHV and their services, please visit http://horizonhealthventures.com/  

Double Digit Premimum Hikes Confirmed Beginning Next Year

Premiums will go up sharply next year under President Barack Obama's healthcare law, and many consumers will be down to just one insurer, the administration confirmed Monday.

"Consumers will be faced this year with not only big premium increases but also with a declining number of insurers participating, and that will lead to a tumultuous open enrollment period," said Larry Levitt, who tracks the health care law for the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

 

 There is much more information on this topic. Please click here to learn more!  

HORIZON Health Ventures is a healthcare cost management solutions company used by insurance brokers, employee benefit consultants, third-party administrators, insurance companies, and associations, to bring proven thought leadership and strategy to the management of their clients healthcare costs. To learn more about HHV and their services, please visit http://horizonhealthventures.com/  

 

The Dark Side of Copay Coupons

According to Express Scripts, drug copay coupons, promoted by manufacturers of brand-name medications, may seem like a good deal for patients. But there's another side to the story. 

Pharmaceutical manufacturers’ promotion of copay coupons undermine the utilization and cost-controlling programs that enable a sustainable pharmacy benefit for patients and plan sponsors.

This marketing tactic reimburses patients who have prescription-drug coverage for the cost of their copay if they choose the higher-priced brand drug instead of the option preferred by their plan sponsor.

 

This is ongoing issue. To learn more about how copay coupons contribute to pharmacy waste and the healthcare industry's reaction, please click here. 

HORIZON Health Ventures is a healthcare cost management solutions company used by insurance brokers, employee benefit consultants, third-party administrators, insurance companies, and associations, to bring proven thought leadership and strategy to the management of their clients healthcare costs. To learn more about HHV and their services, please visit http://horizonhealthventures.com/  

Drug Coupons: Helping a Few at the Expense of Everyone

Drug coupons. Seems like a great idea to offer discounts to patients with various medical issues to help medications be more affordable. However, according to the New York Times, new research suggests that co-payment coupons can actually increase total health care spending by encouraging patients to choose more expensive drugs when there are lower-priced substitutes available. Those high costs can then boomerang back to patients in the form of higher insurance premiums.

To learn more about this emerging headline, be sure to check out the full article HERE. 

HORIZON Health Ventures is a healthcare cost management solutions company used by insurance brokers, employee benefit consultants, third-party administrators, insurance companies, and associations, to bring proven thought leadership and strategy to the management of their clients healthcare costs. To learn more about HHV and their services, please visit http://horizonhealthventures.com/  

 

Helping Primary Physcians in the Movement to Value-Based Care

Ron Williams of Forbes Health recently launched the article that highlights how to get primary care doctors in the movement of value-based care for their patients. He says, "Value-based care continues to be an area of emphasis, and more efforts are being made to transition doctors and hospitals to this payment structure. There is belief, and some evidence, that we may be able to substantially improve the quality of care provided to patients while reducing the total cost of care. To accomplish this, we must empower primary care physicians with the tools, technology, processes and appropriate financial incentives to help transform the system." 

Value-based care is a phrase that we've been hearing repeatedly over and over again in the health care industry. Check out the full article HERE to stay informed. 

HORIZON Health Ventures is a healthcare cost management solutions company used by insurance brokers, employee benefit consultants, third-party administrators, insurance companies, and associations, to bring proven thought leadership and strategy to the management of their clients healthcare costs. To learn more about HHV and their services, please visit http://horizonhealthventures.com/  

HORIZON Health Ventures' Featured Product: Retiree Medical & Prescription Drug Benefits

Today's blog highlights another product of HHV that continues to benefit their clients. HORIZON Health Ventures, LLC provides group retiree medical and prescription drug benefits exclusively through Benistar Admin Services, Inc.

Benistar is a nationwide leader in the design, installation and administration of post-65 retiree benefits including both fully insured and self funded Employer Group Waiver Plans (EGWP). Together with HORIZON Health Ventures, they work with brokers and consultants to provide retiree medical and prescription drug solutions for organizations nationwide.

 

As your retiree benefits partner Benistar will:

• Provide retiree administrative services that meet or exceed the needs of retirees and plan sponsors
• Maximize accuracy within a complex, dynamic environment
• Minimize administrative requirements of maintaining retiree plans
• Actively manage the rising cost of retiree benefits coverage

RDS Reopening 

As part of the HORIZON suite of Retiree Medical and Pharmacy services, we also provide our clients who have filed or continue to file for the Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) with RDS Reopening Services. RDS Reopening is a process that allows Plan Sponsors to go back and “reopen” past reconciled plan years to see if they captured all eligible members and eligible prescription drugs that qualify for Retiree Drug Subsidy under the CMS RDS Program.

This is just a sneak peak on both of these products. To learn more, please click HERE!

HORIZON Health Ventures is a healthcare cost management solutions company used by insurance brokers, employee benefit consultants, third-party administrators, insurance companies, and associations, to bring proven thought leadership and strategy to the management of their clients healthcare costs. To learn more about HHV and their services, please visit http://horizonhealthventures.com/  

The Solutions to America's Drug Cost Dilemma

Harris Meyer of Modern Healthcare recently wrote an in-depth article highlighting the issues of America's drug cost problem and how the two Presidential nominees plan to solve it. Congress continues to question drug company executives over their giant price hikes, but yet little seems to be resolved. There is so much information in this article that in order to keep up with this current headline, you must click HERE.

 
HORIZON Health Ventures is a healthcare cost management solutions company used by insurance brokers, employee benefit consultants, third-party administrators, insurance companies, and associations, to bring proven thought leadership and strategy to the management of their clients healthcare costs. To learn more about HHV and their services, please visit http://horizonhealthventures.com/