Biography for Alicia Caramenico

Alicia Caramenico is the senior editor of FierceHealthPayer and its related publications. Before joining FierceMarkets, she was a web production/multimedia intern at the non-profit Education Week. For almost two years she worked as a publications intern at RiskMetrics Group, a risk management and corporate governance firm in Rockville, Md. Alicia holds a B.A. in print journalism from American University in Washington, D.C. She enjoys reading and playing with her English bulldog. Alicia can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @FierceHealth and @HealthPayer on Twitter and find her on LinkedIn.

Articles by Alicia Caramenico

Report: Medicare Part D spending will soar from hep C drugs

As the health insurance and pharma industries clash over the cost of hepatitis C drugs, a new report finds the high-priced meds will drive up Medicare Part D spending by about $2.9 billion to $5.8 billion next year.

What auto-enrollment for exchanges means for insurers

Changes to the health insurance exchange renewal process could lead to "painful" repercussions for insurers, according to a new report from Milliman.

Vague definitions of health plan and payer create challenges

Common misuse of the terms health plan and payer is making it difficult for the payer community to comply with the Health Plan Identifier (HPID) final rule, according to the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange.

Provider network complaints flood insurers

While policies with limited networks of doctors and hospitals existed before the Affordable Care Act, the backlash has been growing against narrow networks since exchange coverage kicked in.

Insurers must find the path to data mastery

As data takes on an increasingly important role in healthcare, insurers need to leverage their data as a strategic asset aligned with business goals, according to Insurance & Technology.

Republican lawmakers blast Medicare Advantage cuts

Republicans claim the Obama administration is "masking" Medicare Advatage cuts now to avoid making voters angry in an election year, according to The Hill.

Consumers continue to flock to HealthCare.gov

Open enrollment has come and gone but new federal data, obtained by ProPublica, shows the federal exchange saw roughly 1 million insurance transactions since mid-April.

MLR rebates total $9B

Insurers have paid consumers a total of $9 billion since 2011 under the medical-loss ratio, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced today.

Tug-of-war develops over essential benefits

Starting this year, all insurers must provide certain essential health benefits as required under the Affordable Care Act. However, business groups are calling for restructured benefits while consumer advocates are pushing to uphold the coverage requirements, Kaiser Health News reported.

Narrow networks: Striking the right balance

Interest in narrow networks has grown along with concerns about limited provider choice and treatment disruptions. To eliminate those issues, narrow networks must achieve a balance among value, access and affordability, industry leaders said Monday at a briefing from the nonpartisan Alliance for Health Reform in the District of Columbia.