Consumer Driven Health Care

Merck & Co. on Friday said its first-quarter profit more than tripled as strong sales of key drugs and lower costs from integrating its Schering-Plough acquisition offset competition from generic drugs that slashed sales of two heart drugs.

Humana Inc. reports first-quarter financial results on Monday before the market opens.

Walgreen Co. said Thursday it agreed to buy 10 Carle RxExpress pharmacies in east central Illinois.

WellPoint Inc. said a drop in expenses helped raise its first-quarter net income nearly 6 percent, as it became the third big health insurer in the past week to beat analyst expectations and raise its 2011 earnings forecast.

A report from the J.P. Morgan Treasury Service shows how HSAs have become a vital part of helping Americans save and pay for medical expenses.

WageWorks Inc., which administers employee benefit programs for companies, said late Monday that it would seek to raise up to $75 million in an initial public offering of its shares.

Fair warning: If you don’t want to hear another one of my rants about wellness, you might wanna ship this week’s blog right now.

Most of us know that an individual enrolled in Medicare Part A or B isn't eligible to contribute to a health savings account. This can create a problem for employees who work beyond their 65th birthday, which seems to be the norm these days.