July 3, 2016

Anthem, Express Scripts Face Legal Challenge Over Prescription Drug Prices

http://khn.org/news/anthem-express-scripts-face-legal-challenge-over-prescription-drug-prices/

Anthem and its pharmacy manager Express Scripts overcharged patients with job-based insurance for prescription drugs, alleges a lawsuit that seeks class action status for what could be tens of thousands of Americans.

It’s the latest wrinkle in a battle that has already pitted the major national insurer and its pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) against each other in dueling legal actions — and further illustrates the complicated set of factors that determine what consumers pay for prescription medications.

The case alleges that insured workers paid too much because Express Scripts charged “above competitive pricing levels” and Anthem, in effect, allowed those higher prices as part of a 10-year contract deal with the pharmacy management firm. Those actions, it alleges, violate the firms’ responsibilities under a 1974 federal benefits law called the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

“This action seeks to recover losses suffered by the plaintiffs … who overpaid and continue to overpay for the portions of the costs of prescription drugs … they are responsible for paying as plan participants,” says the lawsuit, filed as Burnett v. Express Scripts and Anthem.

July 3, 2016

Daily Holidays - July 3

Compliment Your Mirror Day Sometimes we just don’t feel at our best, and in fact for some of us that ‘sometimes’ is every day. When you’ve got a big day coming or a challenge ahead, or are just feeling down in the dumps, it may be time to Compliment Your Mirror. Day after day we hear things that can tear down our personality and self-confidence, Compliment Your Mirror Day is your reminder to show yourself a little love and remind yourself just how awesome you are. Then keep doing it day after day! https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/compliment-your-mirror-day/

International Plastic Bag Free Day Most of us use them every day, the thin plastic bags used by almost every retailer we visit. Whether we’re shopping for groceries or the newest Prada, you can almost guarantee that you’ll be leaving the store with a plastic bag stuffed full of your new goodies. Then, when you arrive home, you’ll quickly remove them like a kid opening Christmas presents, tossing aside the wrapping with thoughtless abandon. Have you ever stopped to consider what happens to those plastic bags? Has it ever occurred to you just how many of them we go through, individually, in a year? https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/international-plastic-bag-free-day/

Stay Out Of The Sun Day Everybody loves a sunny day, but in the height of summer it’s easy to get dehydrated, sunburnt and worse. Stay Out Of The Sun Day is about looking after yourself by taking a day away from the sun and finding some nice, relaxing shade – and if you are out and about, make sure you’ve got sun cream, plenty of water and some shade! https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/stay-out-of-the-sun-day/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/july3.html

July 2, 2016

Daily Holidays - July 2

I Forgot Day I Forgot Day gives you the chance to make up for forgetting birthdays, anniversaries, and even those days you think you might forget in the future. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/i-forgot-day/

World UFO Day Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No – it’s an unidentified flying object! Celebrate UFO Day by looking to the sky, visiting Roswell, and watching sci-fi films! https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/ufo-day/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/july2.html

July 1, 2016

Daily Holidays - July 1

Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day The natural creativity of human beings finds expression through many forms such as painting, poetry, music and…. Ice cream flavors. The selection of available flavors boggles the mind and often stretches the bounds of believability. From fish flavored varieties to ice cream made from goat’s milk, the options for satisfying your ice cream craving seem endless. Haagen-Daz announces new flavors and types of ice cream every year, and there are many local boutique ice cream shops with their own unique flavors. Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day celebrates all the crazy flavors that have been invented over the years and even those which have yet to come to light! https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/creative-ice-cream-flavors-day/

International Joke Day Do you think you’re funny? The best way to get a feel for a country is to try to understand the humor. Laughter is a universally recognized expression of amusement, and joke telling can become a professional gig for those that truly have the humorous touch. International Joke Day is the perfect day to let out all of the guffaw producing, or groan inducing jokes you’ve collected over the years, sharing them with friends or any passerby you can get to listen to you. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/international-joke-day/

Canada Day Canada Day celebrates that day in history when the British North America Act (Now called the Constitution Act of 1867) was put into place. This was an important end to a long struggle to get Canada recognized as a separate country from its British parents. Three colonies were bound together to create what is now recognized as one of the best countries in the world to live in. For a long time it had some issues with its currency not performing well on the world stage, but recently it has risen to prominence and held its own amongst first world countries. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/canada-day/

Zipcode Day Ever wondered exactly what the ZIP in ZIP code stood for? (You did notice it was all capitalized right? That means it’s an acronym. No? Well, it is! Happy ‘I learned something new today’ day!) ZIP code stands for ‘Zone Improvement Plan’ and was brought into existence. While they do vary from place to place, how they’re utilized is incredibly standard. They started out just being used to make sure mail was sent to the right place and keep things flowing smoothly. Since then they’ve been utilized in a lot of different ways, including emergency services direction. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/zip-code-day/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/july1.html