DECEMBER 6, 2022 Anna Sutton was shocked when she received a letter from her husband’s job-based health plan stating that Humira, an expensive drug used to treat her daughter’s juvenile arthritis, was now on a long list of medications considered “nonessential benefits.†The July 2021 letter said the family could either participate in a new…
JANUARY 10, 2023 [UPDATED on Jan. 11] Controlled substances became a little less controlled during the pandemic. That benefited patients (for their health) and telehealth startups (to make money). Some potentially addictive medications — like buprenorphine and Adderall — are now far more available online to patients because of regulatory changes. Given the scarcity…
DECEMBER 7, 2022 Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people infected with covid-19 from being hospitalized or dying, and it may even reduce the risk of developing long covid. But the government plans to stop footing the bill within months,…
JANUARY 4, 2023 OKLAHOMA CITY — By the summer of 2021, Phil Maytubby, deputy CEO of the health department here, was concerned to see the numbers of people vaccinated against covid-19 slipping after an initially robust response. With doubt, fear, and misinformation running rampant nationwide — both online and offline — he knew the agency…
NOVEMBER 18, 2022 ELKO, Nev. — When Elko County commissioners rejected a $500,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that could have helped the county create a health department or health district, Kayla Hopkins pleaded with them to reconsider. Hopkins, who has lived for nearly nine years in the sprawling rural…
NOVEMBER 9, 2022 When Josephine Cabrera Taveras was infected with covid-19 in the spring of 2020, she didn’t anticipate that the virus would knock her out of work for two years and put her family at risk for eviction. Taveras, a mother of two in Brooklyn, New York, said her bout with long covid…
Between the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and evolving job duties, more employees are experiencing mental health challenges. A 2022 Lyra survey revealed that 84% of employees experienced at least one mental health challenge over the past year. They’re feeling anxious, burnt out, stressed and depressed. As such, organizations are expected to take more responsibility for workers’…
On January 11, 2023, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (“HHSâ€) renewed the COVID-19 pandemic Public Health Emergency. This will again extend the Public Health Emergency Period (the “Emergency Periodâ€) for an additional 90 days, and as a result, numerous temporary benefit plan changes will remain in effect. Important Definitions Emergency Period HHS…
Just as HR professionals quickly adapted to changes at the height of the pandemic, they must now adapt and respond to today’s evolving expectations of organizations and employees. As such, savvy HR leaders and professionals will approach 2023 with human-centric strategies that holistically support and benefit workers. Organizations will benefit from putting people first and…
How the Inflation Reduction Act Will Help Small Businesses September 12, 2022 By signing the Inflation Reduction Act, President Biden is delivering on his promise to build an economy that works for working families and small businesses. The Inflation Reduction Act makes urgent investments to lower prescription drug, health care, and energy costs to create…