Obamacare exchanges could zap WellPoint profits
According to one estimate, the Indianapolis-based health insurer will shed $400 million in pre-tax profits by 2017.
Health Care & Life Sciences
Articles
Anti-smoking officials say Indiana funding cuts hurt
A decision to cut state funding by 38 percent for programs that help people stop smoking and try to prevent others from starting worries those behind the state's tobacco cessation efforts.
Feds scrutinize nursing home buying spree
Indiana’s county-owned hospitals have rushed to acquire nursing homes in the past two years, opening a revenue stream for both the hospitals and the long-term-care facilities. But the additional federal revenue that has driven these purchases could come under threat.
Lilly suing J&J for patent rights in Alzheimer’s drug race
Eli Lilly and Co. is seeking to revoke a patent held by a Johnson & Johnson unit, arguing at a London court it might delay availability of a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
WellPoint CEO: Acquisitions of hospitals, doctors unlikely
Joe Swedish, who took the helm of the Indianapolis-based health insurer a month ago, threw cold-water Wednesday on widespread speculation that he will lead the company through a wave of buying hospitals and medical practices.
Eli Lilly’s profit shoots up despite lackluster sales
The Indianapolis pharmaceutical company left its full-year profit forecast unchanged despite a spike in first-quarter earnings. Revenue fell short of analyst expectations.
WellPoint raises profit forecast after solid first quarter
The Indianapolis-based health insurer easily beat Wall Street’s expectations for earnings in the first quarter and revenue rose 15 percent.
Nora pharmacy recalls compounded drugs
A pharmacy that makes specialty medications is recalling nearly 100 compounded drugs after federal regulators found potential safety problems during an inspection.
Mercer courts employers with private exchange
Mercer Marketplace will offer health coverage from four companies—Aetna Inc., Cigna Corp., UnitedHealthcare and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
Investors await progress report from WellPoint
Many investors expect the health care overhaul’s coverage expansions to affect WellPoint more than other insurers.
Health overhaul may grow Indiana addiction services
The possibility of thousands of Indiana residents becoming eligible for addiction treatment under the federal health overhaul has state officials and providers preparing for an expansion.
Report: Medicaid expansion could juice economy
Proponents of a Medicaid expansion in Indiana are playing up the economic boost the state and its businesses could see from the expansion of health insurance coverage called for by President Obama’s health reform law.
Q&A
Mike Ripley, a health care lobbyist for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, talked about the business group’s views on a proposed expansion of coverage by the Indiana Medicaid program. As it stands now, the 2013 Indiana budget bill includes a plan passed by the Senate as Senate Bill 551, which would have OK’d the Pence administration to negotiate a block grant deal with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand Medicaid coverage via a program like the Healthy Indiana Plan. When that bill was altered in the House to remove the block grant concept, the Chamber dropped its support. The altered House bill is now dead, and the original Senate plan has been added to the budget bill. Its ultimate fate is still unknown
Lilly seeks $30.6M in tax breaks on downtown projects
Indianapolis development officials on Wednesday will weigh the 10-year requests from the pharmaceuticals giant related to a new manufacturing plant and improvements to existing operations downtown.
Analysts: Lilly faces ‘ugly’ period until its pipeline produces
Investor smiles about new experimental cancer drugs and an aggressive play for the animal health market in China turned to frowns after Lilly disclosed deep cuts to its U.S. sales force.
IU medical school’s push to launch startups bears fruit
The Indiana University School of Medicine has launched 12 companies in the past 18 months—a burst of startup activity the school has never seen before.
Employer health coverage on 10-year fall, study says
Indiana, Michigan and South Carolina saw the steepest declines in employer-backed coverage from 2000 to 2011, according to a study released Thursday.
Employers expect little health reform impact until next year
The full rollout of Obamacare on Jan. 1 will force some employers to make key decisions this year, but many area experts think 2013 will be anticlimactic, as most employers hold steady to watch the law’s changes play out in 2014.
Clinic, wellness pay off for OneAmerica
Even as employers embrace workplace wellness and on-site clinics more than ever, there is still a healthy bit of skepticism about whether they actually pay off. But OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc. credits its clinic and wellness program for the lion’s share of a 15-percent reduction in its per-employee costs for health care.
Tyco: No proof Lilly thieves used security report
Lawyers for a security company being sued in the theft of $60 million worth of pharmaceuticals from an Eli Lilly and Co. warehouse in Connecticut say there's no proof the thieves used a report it prepared about security weaknesses in the building.