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Supplement to Managed Care: Continuing Education Credit  Conversations on The Changing Face Of Managed Care: Insights from the 2006-2007 Podcast Series Free download |
Cigna will have to pay back claims to between 600,000 and 700,000 physicians and other providers, according to a settlement the health insurer reached in a class-action lawsuit. Though Cigna has not admitted any wrongdoing, the outcome of the suit could wind up costing the company $200 million. Apparently, the company's claims-processing program malfunctioned.... Prescription drug expenditures will rise 19 percent this year, say health insurers. A survey of 60 major insurers by Segal says that the reasons include better drug therapies, more physicians prescribing drugs, and drug companies' marketing practices.... A significant gap exists between what some people perceive to be their general health, and reality, according to a report by Oxford Health Plans. Seventeen percent of 1,450 adults surveyed believed they're in tip-top shape even though they smoke, drink, or eat too much, and then avoid any kind of exercise. "Employers somehow need to get the message to those in denial that these behaviors will negatively affect their health in the future," says Alan Muney, MD, Oxford's chief medical officer.
