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• Premera Report Spurs National Study, Highlights Dramatic Problem of Hidden Healthcare Tax

  - 2008-12-09

  2006 Premera Study Found Similar Cost Impact in Washington State MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. -- The "hidden tax" on privately insured families and employers created by underpayments for Medicare and Medicaid, first identified by a Washington state study funded by Premera Blue Cross, was given new attention today with the...

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• Hospital-insurer fight stirs anxiety

  - 2008-10-23

  Employee-benefit advisers here say they're anxious to see regional insurer Premera Blue Cross and the Providence Health & Services system, which includes two of the Spokane area's largest hospitals, resolve a high-stakes reimbursement dispute. The failure thus far by the parties to reach agreement on a new three-year contract, with...

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• Employers seek help in Olympia

  - 2008-02-21

  Advocates for Washington state employers say there's little hope the Legislature will act this session on proposals to ease the growing cost and complexity of providing employee benefits. Instead, they say, they'll be mostly playing defense as legislators mold the new Family Leave Act further and consider bills that could...

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• Health-plan premium hikes to be higher

  - 2008-02-07

  Health-plan costs for businesses here will rise mostly from the upper single-digits to upper-teens percentage range, which is mostly up from the hikes seen last year, say representatives of health plans offered here. They say they'll continue to look to their members to become more active in managing their own...

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• Premera Blue Cross Covers Microvolt T-Wave Alternans Testing

  - 2008-02-04

  BEDFORD, Mass. -- Cambridge Heart, Inc. (OTCBB: CAMH), announced today that Premera Blue Cross has revised its Corporate Medical Policy to make Microvolt T-Wave Alternans Testing a covered benefit. Premera Blue Cross provides healthcare benefits to more than 1.5 million members in Washington and Alaska. The revised policy now states:...

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• Premera Blue Cross Supports National Blue Cross Blue Shield Association "Pathways to Covering America" Proposal

  - 2008-01-23

  MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. -- Premera Blue Cross issued the following statement on the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association "Pathways to Covering America" report. "Pathways to Covering America is a prescription for a more effective and integrated health-care system that builds on the vision and accomplishments of independent local Blue...

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• Premera Blue Cross Named 2007 "Best Healthcare Employer" by Voters In Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer Competition

  - 2007-11-12

  2nd Year in a Row that Premera Sweeps Major Categories MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. -- By popular vote for the second year running, the Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer NWJobs "People's Picks" competition has named Premera Blue Cross as the best employer in the Seattle area in six categories - including "Best Healthcare...

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• Communication Key to Improving Medication and Treatment Outcomes

  - 2007-10-23

  Premera and Noted Author Offer Tips to Members to Spark Discussions ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Following announcement of an industry-leading fill rate for generic medications, Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska today announced ways for members to improve their conversations about medications and treatment options for certain ailments with...

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• Study blasts quality of data drug makers give PBMs

  - 2007-08-20

  BOSTON -- Pharmaceutical firms voluntarily compare their new drugs to relevant treatment alternatives only 17% of the time, according to a study examining how closely information submitted to managed care and pharmacy benefits management PBM formulary committees complies with Academy of Managed Care guidelines which were established in 2000. ...

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• Drug-Company Evidence Submitted to Health Plans is of Variable Quality, Study Finds

  - 2007-07-16

  Drug Companies Voluntarily Compare Their New Drugs to Relevant Treatment Alternatives Only 17 Percent of the Time BOSTON & MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. -- An opportunity for drug companies to voluntarily provide detailed evidence of their products' cost-effectiveness compared to existing alternatives is showing promise-but still far from successful. ...

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