Health Payer News
FierceHealthPayer covers the health insurance industry. Find news on organizations like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Wellpoint and Cigna as well as the latest on healthcare reform, health plans, legal issues and more. For more information and analysis on these topics, please visit our health care reports.
State to consider non-profit insurers' surplus
Legislation in Washington state would allow the insurance commissioner to consider non-profit health insurers' surpluses when deciding whether their proposed premiums are reasonable, reported Read more >>
Blues' Horizon invests $1M to train medical home care coordinators
Horizon Healthcare Innovations has created a specialized nurse training program for nurses working in its parent Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey's patient-centered medical home programs. Read more >>
Blue Cross bows out of state Medicaid privatization
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas has decided not to participate in the state's shift toward privatizing its Medicaid program. The decision announced Wednesday means the state's largest health Read more >>
Medicare Advantage enrollment grows 10% as insurers compete
Enrollment in Medicare Advantage has grown by 10 percent. Meanwhile, premiums have fallen at an average 7 percent as insurers compete for seniors' business, the Department of Health & Human Read more >>
Aetna's Q4 profits soar 73%, Cigna's earnings drop
Aetna's fourth-quarter profit rose sharply as a result of its members using few healthcare services, while Cigna's profits dropped. Aetna said Wednesday its earnings increased by 73 percent and its Read more >>
Michigan Blues wants aetna antitrust lawsuit dismissed
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan on Monday asked a federal court to dismiss aetna's lawsuit that claims its hospital contracts are anti-competitive and therefore cause aetna members' healthcare Read more >>
Aetna to pay medical home docs extra monthly per-patient fee
On the heels of WellPoint's new primary care physician reimbursement initiative, aetna announced it's launching a new payment program that offers primary care physicians a financial incentive to Read more >>
HHS rate review unfairly targets small insurers
Small health insurance companies are worried that the federal government's increased scrutiny over premium increases could run them out of business, reported the Chicago Tribune. The Department of Read more >>
Retail co-ops press Mass. insurers for lower prices
Small businesses in Massachusetts are joining forces to form buying cooperatives that will work to negotiate lower rates from health insurers, reported the Boston Herald. "We're hoping that by Read more >>
WellPoint invests $1B to boost doctor fees by 10%
WellPoint has launched a new reimbursement initiative that pays more money to primary care doctors who meet certain quality goals when they keep patients healthier and lower costs. The program will Read more >>
Can insurers survive in an ACO-driven market?
Health insurance companies will be extinct in the next eight years and replaced by accountable care organizations (ACOs) throughout the industry, said a former White House advisor. ACOs render Read more >>
Single payer fails, mental health coverage passes in CA
Insurers can breathe a sigh of relief now that it seems highly unlikely that California will implement a single-payer healthcare system, at least not this legislative session, after the state senate Read more >>
Standardized insurance brochure rule shouldn't cater to insurers
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) shouldn't weaken a requirement that health insurers disclose coverage information to consumers in standardized insurance forms, consumer Read more >>
Mass. reform increased insured, didn't cut costs
Health reform in Massachusetts has increased the number of people with health insurance coverage significantly, but it hasn't helped stem rising healthcare costs. Because the Massachusetts reform Read more >>
Insurer fined $100,000 for using unapproved rates
Washington insurance officials have issued a $100,000 fine to Unicare Life and Health Insurance for selling policies with unapproved rates. The Indiana-based insurer allegedly charged unapproved Read more >>
