Dropping health plan for Obamacare, this firm saved money but sacrificed choice
RANAC Corp., a small firm in Indianapolis, cut its spending on health benefits 25 percent after dropping its group health plan. Could it be a sign of things to come?
Health Care & Insurance
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Takeda denies hiding Actos cancer risks in Nevada trial
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. didn’t hide the alleged bladder-cancer risks of its diabetes medicine Actos, a lawyer for the company told a jury. Actos was marketed for Takeda in the United States by Eli Lilly and Co. from July 1999 to March 2006.
Pence pitches health plan proposal in Washington
The health insurance expansion Gov. Mike Pence is touting relies on federal Medicaid money and meets federal Medicaid requirements, but the Republican governor insists it's not Medicaid.
Drugmaker hid diabetes drug’s cancer risks, lawyer says
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. executives covered up the cancer risks of its diabetes medicine Actos to protect billions of dollars in sales, a lawyer for two women argued.
Indiana’s Obamacare rates for 2015 all over the map
Initial 2015 premiums filed for the Obamacare exchanges in Indiana ranged from as high as a 46-percent hike to as low as a 9-percent cut. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield wants an average increase of 9.7 percent.
Pence’s HIP 2.0 insurance expansion has national aspirations all over it
Gov. Pence's HIP 2.0 plan is nothing less than an attempt to roll back liberal policy on low-income health benefits as far as currently possible–and to get other states to follow suit. It might even be an opening bid for president.
Hospital plans expansion 6 years after flooding
The $30 million project at Columbus Regional Hospital will expand its emergency department and cancer center.
UPDATE: AstraZeneca board rejects new offer from Pfizer
Pfizer’s proposed deal would have been the richest acquisition ever among drugmakers and the third-biggest deal in any industry, according to figures from research firm Dealogic.
Lawmakers positive about Healthy Indiana Plan proposal
An expansion of the Healthy Indiana Plan, which Gov. Mike Pence announced Thursday, received overall positive reviews from Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
Cost-control plan for health care could cost more patients
The Obama administration has given the go-ahead for a new cost-control strategy called "reference pricing." It lets insurers and employers put a dollar limit on what health plans pay for some expensive procedures.
Marathon talks yield good deal for hospitals in Pence’s HIP expansion
Fees on hospitals will generate the lion’s share of the funds for Gov. Mike Pence’s Healthy Indiana Plan expansion. But the benefits hospitals will receive will outweigh those costs.
UPDATE: Pence unveils Healthy Indiana Plan expansion
Gov. Mike Pence said Medicaid is a "fiscal monstrosity" and hopes a proposed expansion of the state-run Healthy Indiana Plan will pass muster with federal officials as an alternative way to insure low-income residents.
Lilly loses patent dispute over Alimta in London court
Eli Lilly and Co. lost a United Kingdom lawsuit over its Alimta cancer treatment when a judge ruled Thursday that a generic version planned by Actavis Plc doesn’t breach European patents.
UPDATE: Pence to propose 2-tier insurance plan for poor
Officials with direct knowledge of the plan said participants in the first tier would receive limited coverage at no charge. A second tier would include dental and vision coverage and require participant contributions.
WellPoint foe leads plan to reveal health prices to consumers
WellPoint Inc. competitor UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer, will lead an industry effort to throw a spotlight on the prices paid for health-care services, making their costs available to consumers on the Internet.
Consumers losing doctors with Obamacare plans
Before the law took effect, experts warned that narrow networks could impact patient's access to care, especially in cheaper plans. But with insurance cards now in hand, consumers are finding their access limited across all price ranges.
Pence to unveil multipronged plan to expand health insurance
The governor’s plan, to be announced Thursday, involves a combination of the Healthy Indiana Plan, employer-sponsored health plans and health savings accounts, according to an invitation sent Tuesday to Indiana health care officials.
Community posts healthy results, but short of expectations
Community brought in more revenue and profit from operations last year. But a spike in charity care caused margins to fall significantly short of expectations of Community executives.
Study: Hospital-doctor hook-ups swell prices
Now that Indianapolis-area hospitals employ large numbers of physicians, a new study suggests the integrated health systems will be able to charge higher prices to private health insurers.
Lilly to appeal $450M ruling over poisoned workers in Brazil
Brazilian federal prosecutors had accused a Lilly subsidiary of incinerating toxic waste at the plant that it operated until 2003.