Consumer Driven Health Care

In a decision that is likely headed to the Supreme Court, a federal judge ruled that North Carolina and West Virginia state health plans must end policies that exclude coverage for gender-affirming medical care.

The Senate committee criticized UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty, who "months in can't figure out how many people have had their data stolen," and for the company server not requiring "multifactor authentication" for access.

Most doses of Zepbound have limited availability because of "demand increase for the drug," while only the highest dose of Wegovy is available, with remaining doses in short supply for a duration "to be determined," says the FDA.

Walmart, citing "lack of profitability," announced plans to close all 51 of its health centers in five states, while the retailer will continue to operate its 4,600 pharmacies and more than 3,000 Vision centers.

The American health care system is far from perfect, but there's no simple solution on how to reform. At BenefitsPRO Broker Expo in Denver Tuesday, a panel of experts all agreed patients deserve better health education and care, but their opinions varied on the solutions.

Consolidation in health care has evolved and hiring people who can "help us look under the hood" of some inscrutable algorithms was a priority, said Lina Khan, chair of the Federal Trade Commission.

A coalition of 17 state attorneys general sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over a new rule mandating that most employers offer "reasonable accommodations" to workers related to time off for an abortion.

Although the FTC estimates that the final rule will increase health care worker earnings by $300 million annually, the American Hospital Association highlighted retention difficulties in the for-profit portion of the hospital sector.