TALON –?The Nest

TALON in the News

The Federal 80/20 Rule in Healthcare Drives Up Costs

Mark Galvin , the Co-founder, President and CEO of TALON put it this way, “the 80/20 Rule and similar laws that state legislators have enacted in the past should be viewed as a type of industry price fixing that should actually be illegal.” Galvin makes the point that “once consumers or employers paying health care bills have transparent price information and immediate incentives to care about price, along with quality, there should be no reason to try to limit health insurance company profits.”

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Industry Hoots

Facing Higher Health Costs, Employers Get Tough

Employers are preparing for an especially pricey healthcare benefits season this fall and are starting to push back harder in negotiations armed with new price transparency data and emboldened by increased industry scrutiny. Employers are frustrated that they haven’t been getting the best deals on health benefits and are using data to demand better terms in discussions with insurers and pharmacy benefit managers.

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Bloggers Burrow

How The Federal 80/20 Rule Got It Wrong

At first glance, the 80/20 standard under the Affordable Care Act seems like a positive change. Why wouldn’t you want to limit the amount that insurance companies can retain for profits? But when you take a closer look, there are serious unintended consequences that have followed as a result of this requirement.

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TALON on the Road ?

WLT Client Conference

The TALON Team had a great time connecting and learning all about the latest in software capabilities at the WLT Client Conference in beautiful Clearwater Beach, FL. From deep dives into auditing, auto EDI, plan building, and workflow to an insightful AMA session, we just couldn’t get enough of the exciting innovations.

Clearwater Sunset Dinner Cruise

While we were in Clearwater, we set sail aboard the StarShip with the WLT partners for a special evening of networking and relaxation on Florida's Gulf of Mexico. It was the perfect way to end the day as we enjoyed spectacular views, wonderful food, and engaging discussions. What a great way to get to know each other!

AHIP Consumer Experience & Digital Health Forum

We also went to Nashville, TN, and heard from top leaders about emerging digital health innovations and strategies. We’re ready to transform the industry which means meeting with other like-minded individuals to connect, collaborate, and inspire new thinking about all things healthcare.

Top Takeaways:

• Enhancing the consumer experience is central to the success of health plans.
• AI will play a role within healthcare, how and to what extent is still unknown, but the possibilities are endless.
• Mental health awareness and efforts needs to be constantly reinforced, and digital health tools need to be leveraged to ensure a seamless consumer experience.

What were your top takeaways?

Legislative News

House Lawmakers Unveil Bipartisan Legislation Tackling Health Care Cost and Price Transparency

House members from three key committees introduced a bipartisan health care bill aimed at addressing price transparency, prescription drug costs and workforce investment, consolidating measures that already have been advanced by the respective panels. Leadership from the House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means and Education and the Workforce committees introduced the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, tying together numerous pieces of legislation focused on improving health care affordability.

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Upcoming Events

TALON Is Hitting the Road and We Hope to See You Soon!

Employee Benefits Conference

October 1-4

Boston, MA

SIIA National Conference

October 8-10

Phoenix, AZ

HLTH Conference

October 8-11

Las Vegas, NV