Tag: UNH

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Is So Back. Here Are the Stocks Sending It to New Highs.
Money

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Is So Back. Here Are the Stocks Sending It to New Highs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is poised to become the first major U.S. stock index to set a record since the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates.Investors on Wednesday drove the blue-chip index up more than 225 points to 36805, after Federal Reserve officials penciled in three interest-rate cuts next year at the conclusion of their December meeting. The rally puts the benchmark on the cusp of topping its previous closing high of 36799.65 set on Jan. 4, 2022. The 30-stock index has risen for six consecutive weeks and is up 10% this year through Tuesday.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The Medicare Gold Rush Is Slowing Down
Money

The Medicare Gold Rush Is Slowing Down

The popularity of private Medicare plans has been a huge driver of profits for insurance companies in recent years. There are signs the gold rush isn’t quite what it once was.Investors have been worried all year as the Biden administration phases in a new system that insurers say will reduce federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans. Developments last week at the top two insurers in the Medicare business, UnitedHealth Group and Humana, raised more questions. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Senators Call for Investigation of Health Insurers’ Role in Driving Up Drug Costs
World

Senators Call for Investigation of Health Insurers’ Role in Driving Up Drug Costs

A pair of U.S. senators called on the federal government to investigate health insurers that are paying high prices for generic drugs for serious diseases like cancer and multiple sclerosis.Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Sen. Mike Braun (R., Ind.) sent a letter on Wednesday to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General requesting an investigation into the high drug prices and any role played by health insurers’ shared ownership with the pharmacies that often fill the prescriptions.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Ozempic Boom Is an Opportunity for Health Insurers
Money

Ozempic Boom Is an Opportunity for Health Insurers

You would think a new class of high-price weight loss drugs taken by millions of Americans would be a problem for health insurers. After all, they ultimately foot the bill. But it is more complicated than that: Some insurance giants actually stand to profit from the Ozempic craze.The industry has been calling out the costs of GLP-1 drugs, which are used for both diabetes and obesity. But federally supported Medicare and Medicaid still don’t cover the drugs for obesity, and much of the commercial market is self-insured. In other words, even though your insurance card says “Aetna” or “UnitedHealthcare,” those companies in some cases only act as administrators. That means employers are the ones bearing the risk of runaway costs.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserve...