Dear Forum Friends,
This is an exciting time for the Forum as we look ahead to the release of the RAND 5.0 National Hospital Price Transparency report, launch Sage Transparency 2.0 and our National Healthcare Price Transparency Conference on May 13th! Looking forward to another impactful year!
Gloria Sachdev
President and CEO, Employers’ Forum of Indiana
Inside the Forum
Register Today!
Join us on May 13, 2024 from 9:00am – 4:30pm ET for the National Healthcare Price Transparency Conference at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis!!
Our robust agenda includes a Keynote from Mark Cuban and presentations from many more experts. Some highlights of this free in person and virtual conference include…
- Hear the results of the RAND 5.0 study noting the variability of price among hospitals, ASCs and for the first time, physician administered medications.
- See the updated Sage Transparency 2.0, to include more graphs, more quality and financial data, as well as a new legislator dashboard!
- Participate in interactive panel discussions featuring health policy experts and employers.
- Attend the Networking Cocktail hour after the conference.
For more information, please visit the Employers’ Forum of Indiana National Conference website.
Sponsorship Opportunity
During the National Healthcare Price Transparency Conference, EFI is excited to offer a limited number of sponsorship opportunities. If interested in learning more, please contact Michaela Trame at michaela@employersforumindiana.org.
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming All – Stakeholder Meetings
Details will be distributed to members one month prior to each meeting.
- April 18th, 11am – 12pm ET: Zoom only All-Stakeholder 2024 Indiana Legislative Session Debrief
- August 22nd – 23rd: Two day Conference, a partnership between the National Association of Worksite Health Centers and EFI
- November 7th: In Person, Agenda TBD
If interested in reviewing past meeting materials, click here.
National Association of Worksite Health Centers (NAWHC) 12th Annual Forum
Directions and Success Factors in Onsite, Near-site and Virtual Health Centers
NAWHC and EFI invite you to participate in the 12th Annual Forum, August 22 & 23, 2024, at the Conrad Hotel in Indianapolis, IN.
NAWHC is the nation’s only trade organization focused on helping employers and others understand the potential and value of onsite health services, as well to enable existing employer clinics to increase their capabilities and integration of other worksite programs and benefits. Members include employers and their vendor and provider partners. The conference is expected to have nearly 200 participants. For more information, click here.
Employer Fiduciary Responsibility
Johnson & Johnson Lawsuit
At EFI’s November 2023 All-Stakeholder meeting, we discussed employer fiduciary responsibility under ERISA. Here is information on the first U.S. employee class action lawsuit accusing their employer, Johnson & Johnson, of not meeting employer fiduciary responsibility.
NEW: Physician-Administered Drugs Pricing Study
Hospital Price for Physician-Administered Drugs for Patients with Private Insurance
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine on January 25, 2024, this study from James Robinson, Christopher Whaley, and Sanket Dhruva found that for insurer drug expenditures:
- Eligible hospitals for 340B discounts retained 64.3%
- Non eligible hospitals for 340B discounts retained 44.8%
- Independent physician practices retained 19.1%
Read the full study here.
In the News
EFI In the News:
- Why Driving a Few Miles Can Save Patients a Fortune on Health Care (Bloomberg)
- Bill That Would Require Indiana AG To Review Hospital Mergers Inches Closer To Reality (Indy Star)
Employers:
- What Healthcare Union Members Won In 2023 (Modern Healthcare)
- Mark Cuban: CEOs ‘Waste A Sh-tload of Money’ On Healthcare (Becker’s)
- Enrollment Trends In Self-Funded Employer-Sponsored Insurance, 2015 And 2021 (Modern Healthcare)
- Indiana 250: Jennifer Rumsey (IBJ)
- Labor Department Sues BCBS Minnesota Over Provider Tax on Self-Funded Plans (Beckers)
- Tyson Foods Drops CVS for Upstart Pharmacy Benefit Manager, as Industry Upheaval Over Cost Concerns Spreads (CNBC)
- J&J Faces Class Action Over Employees’ Prescription Drug Costs (Reuters)
- Contractor For WV Public Employees System Pays Itself Way More For Some Drugs Than Necessary (Ohio Capital Journal)
- Raising Medicaid Reimbursement Would Preserve Access To Care, Reduce Cost Shift On Employers (NWI)
Patients:
- Inside GoFundMe’s Growing Role To Pay Off Medical Bills (Modern Healthcare)
- Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs (KFF)
- How Does Cost Affect Access To Healthcare? (Health Systems Tracker)
- How Financially Vulnerable Are People With Medical Debt? (Health Systems Tracker)
Hospitals
- University Hospitals’ ‘Medicare Breakeven’ Initiative Cuts Expenses By $250M (Becker’s)
- RN Median Wage For All 50 States (Becker’s)
- PRA: Price Variation Report (Patient Rights Advocate.ORG)
- Nonprofit Hospitals’ Surpluses Continue To Baffle (The Journal Gazette)
- Most Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems Analyzed Had “Adequate” or “Strong” Days of Cash on Hand in 2022, Though About One in Ten Did Not (KFF)
- Franciscan Health Acquiring Indiana Hospital (Becker’s)
- How Steward Health’s Relationship With Private Equity Soured (Modern Healthcare)
- Advocate Aurora Uses Anticompetitive Tactics To Drive Up Prices, Lawsuit Alleges (Becker’s)
- Riley Children’s Health And Its President Part Ways (IBJ)
- IU Health Operating Income Nearly Tripled in 2023 (IBJ)
- Indiana Health System Strikes ASC Joint Venture (Becker’s)
Providers & Physicians
- Cost of Total Knee Replacement In The 30 Largest US Cities (Becker’s)
- In Latest Expansion Move, Marathon Health Merges With Denver-Based Company (IBJ)
- States Are Ramping Up Scrutiny Of Health Transactions, As More Provider Groups Look For Buyers (STAT)
Insurance
- U.S. Labor Department Sues UnitedHealth Group Subsidiary Over Denied Claims (Benefits Pro)
- Older Americans Say They Feel Trapped in Medicare Advantage Plans (KFF)
- 3 Providers Being Acquired By Payers (Becker’s)
- ACA Enrollment Grows as Indiana Unwinds Medicaid Coverage (IBJ)
- UnitedHealth, Elevance, Centene Earned Big Investment Income in 2023 (Modern Healthcare)
- U.S. Opens UnitedHealth Antitrust Probe (WSJ)
Pharmacy
- Drugmakers – Pfizer, Sanofi, Takeda, More – Will Raise 500 Drug Prices in January (Benefits Pro)
- Drugs Like Ozempic and Wegovy Show No Link With Suicide, FDA Says (APNews)
- Ozempic is Huge. Here’s Who’s Jumping into Telehealth to Sell It (Modern Healthcare)
- ICER Publishes Final Evidence Report and Policy Recommendations on Treatments for Obesity Management (ICER)
- Survey Reveals Small Business Owners Want Prescription Drug Cost Reform Amid Medicare Price Negotiations (Small Business for America’s Future)
- FDA Approves Amtagvi, The First TIL Therapy For A Solid Tumor (Formulary Watch)
Policy:
- Letters: Health Care Reform Requires Political Will (IBJ)
- Op/Ed: PBM Reform Will Make Healthcare More Transparent And Affordable For Everyone (Indy Star)
- Medicare Site-Neutral Legislative Proposals Under Consideration Would Jeopardize Access to Care for Patients and Communities (AHA)
- New Limits on Prior Authorization Hailed as Good First Step (Axios)
- Grant Programs Establishing, Sustaining Localized Health Responses Move Forward (Indianapolis Capital Chronicle)
- To Increase Transparency, Lawmakers Propose Searchable Health Care Ownership Database (WBOI)
Other Healthcare News
- Nonprofit Hospitals’ Property Tax Benefits: Evidence From Indiana (IAAO)
- Birthing Ward Closures Raise Alarms Amid Maternal Mortality Rates (Modern Healthcare)
- PBGH Action Brief, Human Papilloma Virus (PBGHA)
- America’s Broken Health Care: Diagnosis and Prescription (Imprimis)
- How Does Health Spending in the U.S. Compare to Other Countries? (Health Systems Tracker)
- Podcast: EP424: Five Things for Hospital System Execs to Get Real About in 2024, With Peter Hayes (Relentless Health Value)
- Roughly 1 in 5 Adolescents Report Experiencing Symptoms of Anxiety or Depression (KFF)
Do you have a suggestion or contribution for our next newsletter? Contact us.