Phia Group

Healthcare and Politics… Ugh. Old News!

On September 27, 2024
Donald Trump recently stated that while he will never give up on repealing the ACA, he also said that he was not running on terminating the ACA. This is likely a smart decision, given that a recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll revealed that for Republican voters, repealing Obamacare was an important issue for a very small percent of respondents. Is this demonstrative of a more widespread loss of interest in health care as a political talking point?

Healthcare in Rural America | Overcoming Access Barriers

On August 19, 2024
Explore the significant barriers to healthcare access in rural America, including resource scarcity, long distances to facilities, & low health literacy rates.

Health Over Wealth Act | Protecting Patients from PE Firms

On August 5, 2024
Learn about the Health Over Wealth Act, designed to hold private equity firms accountable in healthcare, ensuring patient welfare is prioritized over profits.

What the Overturning of Chevron Means for Healthcare

On July 19, 2024
For the past forty years, federal agencies have had considerable latitude to interpret and enforce regulations and subsequently advance regulatory initiatives. Per the precedent established in the Supreme Court’s 1984 decision in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, courts have had to defer to federal agencies regarding legal challenges over ambiguously written laws passed by Congress. The rationale was as follows: The public servants employed by the federal agencies, whether they be scientists, engineers, law enforcement officials, economists, or experts in another field, have more specialized expertise in the given matter – even more so than Supreme Court justices -- and should thus be accountable for implementing the law. But effective late last month, the High Court, believing that unelected government officials should not wield such tremendous influence, overturned that precedent, thus yielding unprecedented power to the courts to use their own discretion in interpreting laws – many of which pertain to the country’s healthcare ecosystem.

The End of a (Brief) Era

On May 2, 2024
Five years ago, Walmart, the multi-billion-dollar retail behemoth, opened its first-ever health clinic in Georgia. Soon, dozens more Walmart-sponsored clinics started opening their doors across not just Georgia, but also Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. Most of these pop-up clinics operated in rural communities where chronic diseases were rampant and (affordable) primary care options were scarce. Irrespective of the pandemic soon unfolding, they served their purpose: customers shopping for microwaveable dinners and bath supplies could stop by for a doctor’s appointment, get stitched up, take a flu test, or even get X-rays done, all for a very reasonable fee. As many of these shoppers/patients either lacked health insurance or had high deductible plans with imposing out-of-pocket costs, these clinics represented their only viable option for obtaining any semblance of proper healthcare. Surely, some had not been to a doctor of any type for years.

Lenmeldy | Exploring the Price of the New Gene Therapy

On April 1, 2024
Discover the implications of Lenmeldy, the world’s most expensive drug, and how its high cost affects access to treatment for patients with rare diseases.

Significant Effects of a Recent Healthcare Cyberattack

On March 11, 2024
Explore the significant impact of a recent massive healthcare breach on benefit plans, including challenges in claims processing & potential regulatory relief.

Understanding Cross-Plan Offsetting & DOL's Recent Actions

On January 3, 2024
Explore the implications of cross-plan offsetting in healthcare, including the DOL's recent action against EmblemHealth for violating fiduciary duties.

Empowering the 2023 SIIA National Conference

On October 26, 2023
Earlier this month, the self-insurance industry’s most prominent thought-leaders, innovative service providers, and esteemed subject matter experts convened at the 2023 Self-Insurance Institute of America (SIIA) National Conference at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. The SIIA National Conference, which this year covered such pressing topics as artificial intelligence, surprise billing, emerging trends impacting the employer stop-loss market, and recent legislative and regulatory updates, is widely considered to be the self-insurance industry’s annual marquee event, bringing together hundreds of industry professionals including TPAs, vendors (there were over 950 booths representing industry vendors stationed in the exhibitor hall), brokers, captive managers, stop-loss carriers, and solution providers.

Phia Group and HRS Partner to Recover PFAS-Related Costs

On June 29, 2023
The Phia Group & Healthcare Recovery Solutions (HRS) have partnered to empower healthcare payers in recovering costs associated with PFAS, PFOA, & PFOS payouts.

The Dobbs Case – What Group Health Plans and Employers Need to Know | The Phia Group

On July 1, 2022
On June 24th, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down one of its most controversial and impactful decisions in half a century by overturning Roe v. Wade. This decision has sweeping implications for group health plans. In this special edition of the Empowering Plans podcast, The Phia Group’s Chief Legal Officer, Ron Peck, is joined by attorneys Jen McCormick and Brady Bizarro to unpack the Court’s opinion, what’s likely to happen next, and most importantly, how health plans should respond to this historic ruling.

Empowering Plans: P116 – Right to Repair and Healthcare

On August 20, 2021
This podcast discusses Biden’s executive order on right to repair. Learn how it impacts healthcare costs, patient safety and intellectual property rights.

Empowering Plans: P95 - 2020 Election Results (So Far) – Our Takeaways

On November 9, 2020
In this episode of Empowering Plans, Ron and Brady are joined by Attorney Nick Bonds to discuss the 2020 election results. For now, it looks like we will have a new president in 2021. What will that mean for the healthcare industry? If the Senate stays in Republican control, is a public option likely? Will Obamacare be replaced? What will happen to popular issues such as prescription drug reform and surprise billing bans? We are covering all of the angles and breaking down all of the possibilities.

Benefits on the Ballot – A Political Update for Health Benefits Professionals

On September 22, 2020
Election season is underway. The future of healthcare will be decided via the ballot box, court rooms, and congressional halls. Pandemic or no pandemic, the gears of democracy are turning and what happens now will have long term effects for us all. Join The Phia Group as they discuss the most important elections (including candidates’ positions on health), ongoing legal cases, and proposed laws. They will dissect each and provide you with not only thoughts on how they may impact us, but how we can best prepare for likely outcomes.

The Top 10 of 2020: Cost Containment Measures to Implement Right Now

On March 10, 2020
Self-funding can be great if you know how to use it – but it can also be disastrous if done wrong. Health plans trust their TPAs and brokers to make the right decisions for them, and cost-containment is always the right decision. From choosing a stop-loss carrier all the way to handling appeals, the self-funding market is full of options and customizations, and some are (much) better than others. Join The Phia Group’s legal team as they discuss the cost-containment measures they encounter most frequently, and tell some success stories, some horror stories, and how you can make the best decisions for your clients’ bank accounts.