Content about Healthcare in the United States

ALEXANDRIA, Va. The National Community Pharmacists Association is urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to follow guidance that Congress included in the healthcare-reform law in its implementation of a new Medicaid generic drug reimbursement formula based on average manufacturer price, the organization said Tuesday.

CMS recently withdrew provisions that would have dramatically cut Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement to community pharmacies from a previously proposed AMP rule due to an injunction that the NCPA obtained in 2007.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Launching a pre-emptive campaign to capture a major share of the Medicare prescription market, Walmart and Humana have unveiled a boldly conceived, co-branded Medicare Part D prescription drug plan that offers steeply discounted premiums and co-payments.

(THE NEWS: Walmart, Humana unveil new Medicare Part D prescription drug offering. For the full story, click here)

WASHINGTON More money is flowing from the federal stimulus coffers to states as the White House continues its push to drive the healthcare system’s massive transformation to a digital and information technology-based platform.

WASHINGTON Workers on average are paying nearly $4,000 this year toward the cost of family health coverage — an increase of 14%, or $482, above what they paid last year, according to the benchmark "2010 Employer Health Benefits Survey" released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The news that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia is developing tools to help members throughout the state easily access information on lower-cost emergency room alternatives -- like retail-based health clinics -- is just one more indicator that the physician shortage and soaring healthcare costs are taking a major toll on Americans.

(THE NEWS: Local Blue Cross Blue Shield offers ER alternatives to members. For the full story, click here)