Health Care Costs - Indianapolis Business Journal

Virtual health care grows, but usage is uneven and some patients, physicians are slow to adopt

November 22, 2019 | John Russell

Three years after Indiana passed a law allowing doctors to prescribe drugs for patients without an in-person visit—using a computer, smartphone, video camera and similar technology—some health systems around the state are reporting higher use of virtual visits. St. Vincent, for example, sees hundreds of patients a month remotely for ailments ranging from minor rashes and sprains to follow-up visits for strokes.

Drugmakers will have to reveal medication prices in TV ads

May 8, 2019 | Associated Press

The Trump administration has finalized regulations that will require drug companies to disclose list prices of medications costing more than $35 for a month’s supply.

Springbuk software release spurs double-digit growth

April 11, 2019 | Anthony Schoettle

Local tech firm, Springbuk, has grown from 16 to 102 employees in a little more than two years. A recently released product upgrade the company is calling “a game changer” is spurring another round of serious growth.

Lilly, other insulin makers must face price-gouging lawsuit, judge rules

February 18, 2019 | Bloomberg News

The suit accuses the companies of raising insulin sticker prices by more than 150 percent over five years, forcing diabetics to forgo the drug, take less insulin than needed or use expired versions

Lilly to disclose more information about drug pricing

January 8, 2019 | Bloomberg News

Eli Lilly and Co. won’t put the price of its prescription drugs in television ads, as the Trump administration has called for pharmaceutical companies to do, but will begin promoting a website where prices are available.

New rule will make hospitals list prices, but what patients pay could differ greatly

December 20, 2018 | John Russell

Starting Jan. 1, every U.S. hospital will be required to post standard charges online for every item and service they provide, from bandages and drugs to operating rooms and organ transplants.

Tobacco, opioid epidemics claimed 14,200 Hoosier lives in 2017, studies say

October 29, 2018 | John Russell

Two reports, sponsored by the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, say the state should not let up in fighting twin scourges that claim thousands of lives and cost billions of dollars in health care costs and lost productivity.

Trump focusing on drug prices, high among voters’ concerns

October 25, 2018 | Associated Press

President Donald Trump is linking the drug prices Americans complain about to one of his longstanding grievances: foreign countries the president says are taking advantage of U.S. research breakthroughs.

Hunger, food insecurity continue to vex Indiana residents

October 10, 2018 | Hayleigh Colombo

In Indiana, one million people face food insecurity, and in Indianapolis the number is approaching nearly 175,000—or more than 18 percent of the population.

Hospitals hit with fines over patient readmissions

October 3, 2018 | John Russell

Indiana hospitals are racking up millions of dollars in penalties for having too many patients return for care within a month of discharge.

Opioid epidemic showing signs of turning corner, state drug czar says

September 28, 2018 | John Russell

Visits to emergency rooms in Indiana for drug overdoses are falling, and doctors are writing fewer prescriptions for opioid painkillers, Jim McClelland said Friday.

IndyGo’s daunting task: Turn drivers into health fanatics

March 1, 2018 | John Russell

Since starting a wellness program in 2010, IndyGo has seen employee participation climb from just a few, skeptical workers to 97 percent of the workforce.

Trump’s big promises on drug costs followed by modest steps

February 12, 2018 | Associated Press

As a candidate, President Trump advocated Medicare negotiations and allowing consumers to import medicines from abroad. His current strategy recommends changes to policies that the administration believes unwittingly lead to higher prices, and suggests ways to speed drugs to market and increase competition.

House panel approves bill to raise state smoking age from 18 to 21

January 29, 2018 | Hayleigh Colombo

Lawmakers stripped a provision from the bill that would have boosted the cigarette tax from 99 cents a pack to $2.99.

With $20M infusion, health analytics software firm plans to hire 100 by 2020

January 22, 2018 | IBJ Staff

Indianapolis-based Springbuk expects to grow by leaps and bounds after landing a big package of venture capital.

Trump health pick wary of government drug price negotiations

January 10, 2018 | Associated Press

Alex Azar, a former Eli Lilly and Co. executive, acknowledged to the Senate Finance Committee that drug prices are too high and said he'd work to lower them if confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services.

Food insecurity, hunger vex large swath of Indianapolis residents

October 20, 2017 | Hayleigh Colombo

Nearly 175,000 food-insecure people live in the city. About 47,000 of them are children, whose ability to learn and thrive can be hampered, according to panelists at a local hunger summit on Friday.

Employers, workers brace for another round of health premium increases

September 28, 2017 | John Russell

The National Business Group on Health is projecting the total cost of providing medical and pharmacy benefits to increase 5 percent for the fifth consecutive year in 2018.

Lilly insulin prices come under microscope

August 25, 2017 | John Russell

Over the past 20 years, while the price of a gallon of milk climbed 23 percent and the sticker on a Dodge Caravan minivan rose 21 percent, the list price of the insulin Humalog shot up 1,157 percent.

Flat-fee payment model bypasses traditional health insurance

July 28, 2017 | John Russell

Without dozens of insurance claims to file and follow up, physicians cut administrative overhead, reduce costs and keep their practices limited to a few hundred patients, rather than a few thousand.

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