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MANAGED CARE May 2008. ©MediMedia USA
News and Commentary
Headlines on Deadline…
Consumer directed health plans (CDHPs) deliver modestly better cost savings than non-CDHPs, according to the “Consumer-Driven Impact Study” by Milliman. When adjustments are made for typical risk and benefit factors, CDHPs produce 1.5 percent in savings beyond traditional plans. . . . WellPoint announced that it is launching the first real-time drug surveillance system that will monitor the insurer’s 35-million-member database and identify increases in health problems among members taking a given drug, indicating a potential serious adverse event (SAE). It is expected that the company’s Safety Sentinel System will also make it possible to examine whether particular combinations of treatments could cause serious medical problems, especially in patients with certain diseases or health conditions. . . . Small businesses feel the pinch of providing health insurance to employees more than their large counterparts do, according a Rand study, “Economic Burden of Health Insurance Increasing for Small Employers Providing Health Insurance.” The cost of insurance for these small businesses rose nearly 30 percent from 2000 to 2005, significantly more than the hikes experienced by medium and large businesses during the same time.