Update

Federal regulations require health insurers to promptly hand over records to patients facing claim denials within 30 days, however, Anthem, Aetna and UnitedHealth blew past the 30-day deadline in a recent ProPublica investigation.

Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner, who both have championed to lower the cost of prescription drugs, applauded Sanofi, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly – the three major insulin manufacturers – for slashing prices, effective Jan. 1, 2024.

The IRS announcements include a number of dollar amounts employers will need to know in order to administer their benefit plans for 2024, including the key dollar amounts for retirement plans, FSAs, HSAs and HDHPs.

West Hollywood's $19.08/hour wage – resulting from a law passed in 2021 mandating that wage increases be tied to the rate of inflation – is getting pushback from small business owners who want a moratorium on increases.

The SSA has demanded money back for overpayments from more than 2 million people a year — twice as many people as acting commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi disclosed at an October congressional hearing.

The Senate Finance Committee, which oversees Social Security, plans to meet with the agency every month to address SSA's attempt to claw back $21.6 billion in overpayments sent to beneficiaries in error.

Since Pres. Biden proposed rules to reinforce the Mental Health Parity law in July, there's been mixed reaction to the rules, however, employer groups and insurers point out one glaring issue – a shortage of mental health providers.

The U.S. faces a serious shortage of primary care doctors for many reasons, but Medicare, which has significant muscle in the health care market, tends to reward specialties that emphasize procedures more than primary care.