Health insurance

Victoria Klesty | ReutersIn the U.S., Wegovy is no longer just for weight loss.The blockbuster drug — one of a handful of weight loss treatments to skyrocket in popularity over the last year — is now approved in the U.S. for heart health, too. But that may not translate to wider insurance coverage of the weekly injection drug from Novo Nordisk and similar obesity treatments just yet.Some employers and other health plans are still reluctant to cover Wegovy due to its hefty $1,350 monthly price tag, which they say could…

A cyberattack at U.S. health tech giant Change Healthcare has ground much of the U.S. healthcare system to a halt for the second week in a row. Hospitals have been unable to check insurance benefits of in-patient stays, handle the prior authorizations needed for patient procedures and surgeries, or process billing that pays for medical services. Pharmacies have struggled to determine how much to charge patients for prescriptions without access to their health insurance records, forcing some to pay for costly…

Recent changes to Medicaid programs, aimed at closing a health coverage gap in the U.S., have left behind some Americans — particularly people of color.Among the non-elderly population in the U.S. — those under age 65 — insured rates rose during the Covid pandemic, with 3.4 million Americans enrolling in health coverage between 2019 and 2022, according to a report by KFF. That shift was due in part to the Medicaid and health care marketplace provisions put in place as a result of the Affordable Care Act, the report…

Blood sample of patient positive tested for sickle cell.Kitsawet Saethao | Istock | Getty ImagesThe approval of two gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease has given hope to patients who suffer from the debilitating disease, which overwhelmingly affects Black people and people of color.Health officials now face a challenge in finding a way to provide equitable access to the costly treatments.The crippling episodes of pain from the genetic blood disorder make life unpredictable for patients like Michael Goodwin.…

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.'Even AI Rappers are Harassed by Police' | AI UnlockedCongress created the National Flood Insurance Program in 1968 as a way for the federal government to bear a risk that private companies wouldn’t. Since then, Uncle Sam has backed the vast majority of flood insurance policies in the United States.Yet it is impossible to buy or renew such plans directly with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which administers the…

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesShares of Cigna jumped Monday following reports that the health-care giant has scrapped its plans to buy rival Humana due to disagreements on price, putting an early end to what would have been one of the largest deals of the decade.Cigna late Sunday also announced plans to buy back $10 billion worth of shares, bringing its total planned repurchases to $11.3 billion. The company said in a release that it will consider smaller, "bolt-on" acquisitions in the near term, but did not…

Supporters hold up Save Medicaid signs during the Senate Democrats' news conference at the Capitol with disability advocates to oppose the Republicans' Graham-Cassidy health care bill.Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty ImagesNearly 3 million people have been kicked off Medicaid since Covid-19 pandemic protections expired in April, with three-quarters of those individuals losing coverage despite the fact that they may still be eligible for the public health insurance program, according to data from health researcher…

Being classified as overweight based on the body mass index (BMI) scale does not necessarily lead to an increased risk of death when considered independently…

Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. ET. Here's a recap of Friday's key moments. Be ready for a sell-off Stick with Ford Don't invest based on fear 1. Be ready for a sell-off U.S. stocks rose Friday, adding to strong weekly performances for all three major Wall Street benchmarks. The S & P 500 and Nasdaq Composite are on pace for their best weeks since March, climbing more than 3% and roughly 4%, respectively. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial…

Food and grocery delivery company Swiggy has facilitated a payout of Rs 31 crore in claim amounts to its delivery partners in FY23.The SoftBank-backed company said it has been providing insurance to its delivery partners since 2015. Swiggy has around three lakh delivery partners across 500 cities in India.The company now has partnered with Reliance General Insurance to cover health insurance, personal accident and accidental death, and mobile phone damages. Delivery workers can avail of mobile insurance coverage of Rs…