Washington Watch  

ACA Plan Members Increased Number Of Prescriptions By 8.6 Percent in 2015. The Washington Post (3/15) reports according to an analysis conducted by Express Scripts, consumers in health plans offered through ACA exchanges are increasing "their use of prescription medications more rapidly than those in employer or government-sponsored plans." Data show that last year, "people in the exchanges increased their number of prescriptions filled by 8.6 percent, four times the rate of people who receive insurance through commercial plans outside of the exchanges." This, in addition to price gains, resulted in "a 14.6 percent jump in drug spending for people in the exchanges, nearly three times faster than all drug spending."

PA. Independence Blue Cross (Independence) announced that it is now offering coverage for telemedicine. This coverage option is a new way to make health care more convenient and accessible, allowing members to consult with a doctor via secure video on their smartphone or other digital device for medical issues that are not emergencies. (IBC Press Release, 3/14)

PA. Highmark Inc. lost $773 million through 2015 on its Obamacare insurance plans, the result of sicker-than-expected people getting treatment after buying the plans, the insurer announced last week. By the end of February, enrollment in Highmark's individual health plans had dropped from about 350,000 members to about 195,000 members. The decrease includes plans sold on and off the federal marketplace. "Our share in the market was considerably higher than we had anticipated in 2014 and 2015, and I think now what you're seeing is a market adjustment," said Alexis Miller, Highmark's senior vice president of individual and small group markets. (TribLive.com, 3/15)

MA. The Boston Business Journal (3/15) reports in its "Health Care Inc." blog that for several weeks, Minuteman Health has been warning that the ACA "was putting a strain on its fiscal 2015 financials, but this week the insurer released details showing just how negative the impact has been." The insurer, which is based in Boston, said it "had to set aside almost all of the $43 million it collected in premiums in fiscal 2015 to deal with Obamacare payouts it will have to make in 2016 and 2017."