The ACA regulators issued FAQ XXIX this afternoon with more consumer / preventive services goodies / impositions on health plans.  This is a basic problem with the law. The forces plans to cover a broad and ever increasing array relatively low cost items that consumers should be paying for themselves. Those reimbursable items wind costing the economy more and push the premiums ever closer to the high cost plan excise tax threshold.

The FEHBlog attended an excellent federal pharmacy symposium put on by the large pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts.  It is worth relating that prescription drug manufacturers have a record number of new drugs in the research pipeline and that in 2014 the Food and Drug Administration approved a record number of new drugs for marketing. The FDA, however, is slow to approve generic drug manufacturing licenses which allows predatory companies to make a ton of money on single source generic drugs just by raising prices.

The FEHBlog has criticized the ACA-created and insurer funded Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute as a white elephant. Here is a link to the PCORI’s annual meeting report. Judge for yourself,

Earlier this week, the American Cancer Society issued its updated recommendations on routine mammographies for breast cancer screening. Kaiser Health News reports that these guidelines “are unlikely to” impact insurance coverage for routine mammographies. The FEHBlog agrees.

Health Data Management reports on what’s coming in 2016 — another round of government audits on compliance with the HIPAA privacy and security rules. HIPAA covered entities and business associates be advised!