Despite stronger economy, insurers keep up pressure on hospitals, doctors
Anthem touts program saving $9.51 per patient per month—but passes on less than half the savings to hospitals and doctors.
Life Science & Biotech
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All of a sudden, HIP 2.0 has a cloudy future
Gov. Mike Pence’s expanded version of the Healthy Indiana Plan looked secure after winning approval from the Obama administration in January. But now it faces threats from both liberals and conservatives.
Half of insurers on Indiana Obamacare market are losing money
UnitedHealthcare, MDwise, IU Health Plans and Assurant all disclosed losses during the first nine months of this year on the policies they are selling on the federal marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act.
Looks like business growth is slowing down at Indiana hospitals
Profits and patient visits remain strong at Community Health Network and Indiana University Health, but their Obamacare-fueled growth is decelerating.
Midwest employers are actually spending less on health benefits
New data show that employers trying to duck the Obamacare Cadillac tax and turn their workers into healthier consumers are starting to actually reduce the amount of money per worker they are spending on health benefits.
Indy lawyers lead D.C. coalition chipping away at health care regulations
With regulations on the rise and 25 percent of health care spending going toward administration, lawyers at Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman are taking aim at some of the most pain-inducing pieces of federal anti-kickback statutes.
City-County Council gives go-ahead to 16 Tech bonds
The City-County Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve $75 million in bonds for infrastructure improvements that should allow development of the 16 Tech innovation district to move forward.
Advantage CEO exits after un-reported losses come to light
Vicki Perry, the longtime CEO of Advantage Health Solutions Inc., has been replaced after a financial review found “significant un-reported losses” at the Indianapolis-based health insurer.
Covering the uninsured brings only a small benefit for the insured
Hospitals have long argued that they pass on the cost of the uninsured to private insurance customers. But a new study shows that’s less than half-true.
Federal jury to settle bitter battle between sweeteners
Big Sugar and Big Corn face off in court this week in a bitter, multibillion-dollar battle of sweeteners that boils down to a mix of science, semantics and marketing.
IU Health aims to extend insurance service to 1M Hoosiers
The Indianapolis-based hospital system said its efforts to reduce patients’ need for expensive health care services, known as population health, slashed the use of hospitals, nursing homes and expensive imaging scans among the 140,000 Hoosiers IU Health now serves.
When it comes to health benefits, Hoosier employers are cheap
Lower wages, higher hospital prices and unhealthy lives force Indiana employers to charge more and give fewer health benefits to their workers.
Champions of 16 Tech see it as magnet for development, high-tech workers
City leaders want to make the 60-acre tract of land just north of the Indiana University School of Medicine campus a mix of all of the best the city has to offer and catch the eyes of more creative and highly sought-after workers.
Zimmer patent lawsuit heads to U.S. Supreme Court
A subsidiary of Zimmer Biomet Inc. in Warsaw will argue that it should not have to pay about $248 million in a patent infringement case.
Lilly CEO: Drugmakers getting bum rap
Eli Lilly and Co. CEO John Lechleiter told Wall Street analysts recently that, while there have been “individual huge drug price increases,” the overall cost of drugs is rising very slowly and remains a small part of overall U.S. health care spending.
Obamacare’s medical device tax is (probably) killing jobs—but not a lot so far
A Census Bureau survey suggests that medical device firms created 20,000 fewer jobs from 2011 to 2013 than they should have—and some of those missing jobs probably can be blamed on Obamacare’s medical device tax.
Merger mania spurs Hall Render to add two more offices
The Indianapolis-based law firm opened two new offices this fall—in Dallas and Seattle—and has now added five new offices in the past 24 months, as it tries to keep up with consolidation among hospitals and doctors.
Eskenazi launches $50M effort to take brain care around the world
The safety-net hospital system in Indianapolis will create the Center for Brain Care Innovation and try to use telemedicine and a digital avatar to reach as many as 150,000 Hoosiers and 10 million patients outside Indiana by 2030.
Spiking drug prices punch holes in health insurers’ finances
Spending on prescription drugs has soared 451 percent this year at Indianapolis-based MDwise as new drugs for hepatitis C and cancer soar above $100,000 per patient.
Lilly to add 50 employees at R&D center in New York
The drugmaker is trying to beef up its work on using the immune system to fight cancer. Indianapolis will remain Lilly’s main hub for research and development.