Benefits Breakdown Newsletter July 2025 | VA Benefits Consultants

U.S. Prescription Drug Spending Rose 10.2% in 2024 A new report from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists revealed that prescription drug spending in the United States reachednearly $806 billion in 2024, up 10.2% from 2023. The increase was largely driven by the demand for weight loss medications, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs. GLP-1 medications … Continued

ACA Update: Enhanced No-Cost Cancer Screenings for Women Coming in 2026 | Virginia Benefits Advisors

Big changes are coming to women’s preventive care coverage!  Starting with plan years on or after December 31, 2025, group health plans and health insurance issuers must expand their no-cost coverage for women’s preventive care. This expansion includes additional breast cancer imaging or testing needed to complete an initial mammogram, as well as patient navigation … Continued

Benefits Breakdown Newsletter – July 2025 | Virginia Benefits Consultants

U.S. Prescription Drug Spending Rose 10.2% in 2024 A new report  from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists revealed that prescription drug spending in the United States reached nearly $806 billion in 2024, up 10.2% from 2023. The increase was largely driven by the demand for weight loss medications, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs. GLP-1 … Continued

Benefits Breakdown August 2024 | Virginia Benefits Team

What Employers Should Know About Precision Medicine Precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, aims to customize medical care by considering the unique characteristics of each patient. The approach focuses on getting the right treatment to the patient at the right time and for the right price. At its core, precision medicine recognizes that individuals … Continued

Benefits Buzz May 2024 | Virginia Benefits Agents

Prescription Drug Report Is Due by June 1, 2024 Group health plans must annually submit detailed information on prescription drug and health care spending to the federal government. This reporting is referred to as the “prescription drug data collection,” or the “RxDC report.” The next RxDC report is due by Saturday, June 1, 2024, covering … Continued

Health Insurance Basics | VA Employee Benefits Partners

Does a Health Plan Typically Pay for Services from Any Doctor? Not always. Some types of plans encourage or require consumers to get care from a specific set of doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical service providers who have entered into contracts with the plan to provide items and services at a negotiated rate. The … Continued

Health Insurance Basics: Part 3 | Virginia Benefits Team

Insurance Costs Consumers typically pay the following types of costs when they have insurance. Premium: The premium is an amount of money a consumer pays for a health insurance plan. The consumer and/or their employer usually make this payment bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. The premium must be paid regardless of how many services, if … Continued

Benefits 101: Embedded vs. Non-Embedded Deductibles | VA Employee Benefits Group

Everyone needs health insurance but many people don’t fully understand it.  One important concept to understand is your deductible.  A deductible is the amount of money that must be paid for covered services before the health insurance company begins paying for expenses. For an individual plan, the deductible is straightforward.  But family plans are a … Continued