Wendy future of retail top

Affordable Care Act

Fetch Rewards partners with Albertsons Cos.

Fetch Rewards partners with Albertsons Cos.

BOISE, Idaho — Fetch Rewards, the nation’s No. 1 consumer-loyalty and shopper-rewards app, announced Tuesday its first-ever retail partnership with Albertsons Cos. The partnership between Fetch Rewards and Albertsons Cos. comes after a successful five-week pilot program aimed at driving Fetch users to shop at nearly 200 of the company’s stores. Albertsons Cos. leveraged Fetch

New Supreme Court makeup could tilt balance on ACA

New Supreme Court makeup could tilt balance on ACA

NEW YORK — Ever since it was signed into the law by President Obama on March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act has been under constant attack by Republicans seeking to undermine the former president’s signature legislation. Despite surviving numerous attempts by congressional Republicans to repeal it and its constitutionality being upheld by a majority-conservative

Assessing the high costs of health care

Assessing the high costs of health care

Everyone recognizes that the high cost of health care in the U.S. is a chronic problem, the fallout from which is hurting patients, constraining providers and preventing the nation from marshalling adequate resources to address other essential needs. As noted in this space earlier this month, the Affordable Care Act, the legislation that governs the

What the budget deal means for health care

What the budget deal means for health care

WASHINGTON — Health care spending has been beefed up in some areas and reduced in others as a result of the federal budget legislation passed by Congress earlier this month. Chronic care funding was bolstered by the two-year spending plan, which was signed into law by President Trump, while some Affordable Care Act appropriations were

ACA enrollment remains steady

WASHINGTON — Nearly 9 million people signed up for health insurance in the Affordable Care Act’s latest open enrollment period, despite the Trump administration having cut its duration in half. The 8.8 million enrollees were only slightly fewer than the total in the last ACA open enrollment period, which, besides being longer, was much more

New tax code eliminates ACA individual mandate

New tax code eliminates ACA individual mandate

WASHINGTON — The individual mandate is no more. The requirement under the Affordable Care Act that people pay a penalty if they do not obtain health insurance was eliminated in the federal tax overhaul passed by Congress. After the Senate approved the tax reform legislation 51-48, Trump tweeted, “Terrible Individual Mandate (ObamaCare) Repealed.” He signed

Big events of 2017 that will shape the future

Big events of 2017 that will shape the future

A case could be made that for pharmacy operators passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act late last month was the biggest story of 2017. Championed by the Republican leadership in Congress and President Trump, the $1.5 trillion measure will provide substantial, permanent tax relief for businesses — the corporate tax rate was cut

Senators grill HHS nominee Alex Azar on cutting drug costs

Senators grill HHS nominee Alex Azar on cutting drug costs

WASHINGTON — Alex Azar, a former pharmaceutical executive named by President Trump to be the next Health and Human Services secretary, told senators at a full committee nomination hearing that making prescription drugs more affordable would be one of his top priorities. “Drug prices are too high,” Azar said to the Senate health committee at

U.S. health care spending growth slows

U.S. health care spending growth slows

BETHESDA, Md. — Growth in prescription drug expenditures tailed off despite an overall gain in 2016 U.S. health care spending, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Last year, U.S. health care spending totaled $3.3 trillion, up 4.3%, compared with growth of 5.8% in 2015 and 5.1% in 2014, according to a

Senate tax reform bill may doom ACA’s individual mandate

Senate tax reform bill may doom ACA’s individual mandate

WASHINGTON — The Senate’s repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual mandate as part of its sweeping tax reform bill has likely spelled doom for the provision, which required people who didn’t obtain health insurance to pay a tax penalty. Sen. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) said the 51-49 vote passing the Senate tax reform

Prospects for compromise on ACA unclear

WASHINGTON — The future of the bipartisan bill to stabilize health insurance markets remained uncertain after President Trump sent mixed signals about the health reform legislation. GOP senators who met with Trump late last month said he had withheld his backing for the bill, which would temporarily restore insurance subsidies that the president had blocked

Trump executive order takes aim at ACA

Trump executive order takes aim at ACA

WASHINGTON — After numerous failed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to relax standards on small businesses that band together to buy health insurance and may take steps to allow the sale of other health plans that skirt the health law’s requirements. The Trump executive order

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