Health insurers diversify away from regulations
One year after President Obama signed the health reform overhaul, health insurers are buying less-regulated companies in a bid to offset the lower profits and growth they expect the law to cause.
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Self-funded plans draw small-firm interest
In the face of new health reform restrictions, expect more small employers to opt for self-funded health benefits, concludes a report this week from Indianapolis-based United Benefit Advisors.
Healthy Indiana Plan expansion opposed by some
Indiana wants to use its public health savings account program for low-income adults to cover people who will become newly eligible for Medicaid under the federal health care law beginning in 2014.
Regulators delay approval of Lilly’s Alzheimer’s screen
The Food and Drug Administration said Lilly needs to create a training program to ensure brain scans are interpreted properly.
Trade agency to probe Lilly’s infringement claim
Eli Lilly and Co.’s patent-infringement claim over Hospira Inc.’s generic version of the cancer treatment Gemzar will be investigated by a U.S. trade agency with the power to block imports of the copycat drug.
RATHKE: My saga of staying up to date on health care reform
Human resources used to be about payroll and benefits. Now it’s also about watching Congress.
Indianapolis couple offers seniors a senior housing alternative
Unusual home on south side has a dozen bedrooms for folks who need to give up their own homes.
Hospital systems adopt Starbucks-style service
Indiana University Health is the latest system to drill employees ranging from clerks to physicians in how to treat patients.
Indiana Medicaid mental health list worries advocates
The state budget bill moving through the Indiana General Assembly would save about $7 million each year by creating a list of preferred mental health drugs and trying to win larger rebates from manufacturers.
Lilly confident of FDA approval for Amyvid, Lechleiter says
Eli Lilly and Co. CEO John Lechleiter said he’s confident of gaining U.S. regulatory approval for a drug to help identify plaque in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Q&A: Tony Lennen
Tony Lennen became president of Community Hospital South in 2009, overseeing a 50-bed expansion that was completed last summer, giving the hospital 150 private rooms. The facility, located along the line between Marion and Johnson counties, competes against nearby facilities run by Franciscan St. Francis Health, Indiana University Health and Johnson Memorial Hospital.
Health insurance costs spike worldwide
Think galloping health insurance costs are a problem unique to American employers? Think again. Medical costs paid by employer-focused health insurers rose by an average of 10 percent last year—identical to the United States.
Lilly suffers another bruise from Novo
The failure of its drug Bydureon to match the performance of Novo’s Victoza trims but doesn’t kill sales prospects for the highly touted diabetes drug.
Pharmacist accused of netting $3.5 million through fraud
A Terre Haute pharmacist faces a possible 10-year prison sentence if convicted of health care fraud and money laundering in a scheme that netted him more than $3.57 million.
Lilly’s Bydureon falls short of competitor in study
Bydureon, the diabetes drug being developed by Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., Eli Lilly and Co. and Alkermes Inc., didn’t control the disease better than Novo Nordisk A/S’s Victoza in a study.
Parks Foundation plans east-side farm for Gleaners
The Indianapolis Parks Foundation plans to use a $150,000 grant from Indiana University Health to start an organic farm on the east side of the city benefiting Gleaners Food Bank.
WellPoint sees strong enrollment in big accounts
WellPoint Inc. has already more than doubled the enrollment gains it expected in 2011 for national accounts that the health insurer administers for large employers.
Community wins sweepstakes for Johnson partnership
Community Health Network won a three-way race for a close partnership with Johnson Memorial Hospital, besting Franciscan St. Francis and Indiana University Health.
WellPoint expects employer biz to stagnate
Over the next five years, WellPoint Inc. expects the employer-sponsored insurance business to shrink slightly, forcing it to shift its focus to government-sponsored plans.
UPDATE: Bioanalytical researcher opening lab in Indianapolis
Advion BioServices is expected to open the lab at Purdue Research Park in Indianapolis in May with 49 employees. Some of the workers may come from Eli Lilly and Co., which is moving its drug-discovery bioanalytical operations to Advion as part of a partnership.