Rate review bill faces uphill battle in California Senate
A California bill that would let the insurance commissioner block excessive rate hikes is headed to state Senate floor, where it likely faces a tough fight. The Senate Appropriations Committee
Survey: Most employers not dropping health plans in 2014
A new survey is the latest attempt by industry analysts to determine whether companies will continue to offer employer-sponsored health plans after insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014.
Humana acquiring HMO Arcadian to boost Medicare enrollment
Humana (NYSE: HUM) is acquiring health management organization Arcadian Management Services, as part of an effort to better market its Medicare-related offerings, reports the Wall Street Journal.
AHIP to battle health insurance tax on consumers' behalf
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), along with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), wants to repeal the health reform law's annual tax that would be assessed on insurance
Health plans will consolidate, BCBSRI CIO says
William Wray, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island's chief information officer, thinks the health reform law will cause a lot of consolidation driven by scale and cost throughout the health
Blues expansion into Medicaid under AG review
The Michigan attorney general is reviewing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's proposal to expand into the Medicaid market by acquiring top-ranked Medicaid HMO plan AmeriHealth Mercy, reports the
Labels may push insurers to become consumer-centric
Insurers are all aflutter about the new rules requiring standardized summaries of health plan costs and benefits, fearing it's just another financial burden to add to their long list of regulatory
Regence fined $100K for illegally denying contraception
Regence BlueShield was fined $100,000 by the Washington insurance commissioner for improperly denying coverage to women seeking to remove a birth control device. "We wanted to make sure they
Humana faces $3.3M fine for not reporting Medicaid fraud
Humana (NYSE: HUM) has been fined $3.3 million for failing to promptly report Medicaid fraud or abuse to Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. The insurer hasn't disclosed what it
Insurance giants cut lobbying but still spend $2.7M
Four of the largest health insurers--Aetna, Cigna, Humana, and WellPoint--spent roughly $2.7 million lobbying the federal government in the second quarter. The biggest spender was WellPoint, which
Aetna touts mobile alerts for instant patient access
Hoping to increase communication between doctors and patients and better coordinate healthcare, Aetna (NYSE: AET) is providing physicians with new mobile tools to access clinical alerts and
Exchange benefits recommendations might be delayed
It appears that there's a good chance insurers won't know which basic health benefits they will be required to provide as part of the health insurance exchanges beginning in 2014. The Institute of
Standardized insurance summaries required next year
Just as food companies supply food nutrition labels, health insurers must provide existing and potential customers a standardized summary of their plans' costs and benefits starting March of next
Exclusive interview: BCBS Association leader describes quality innovations among Blues plans
Finding ways to manage rising healthcare costs while improving the quality of care is on the minds of payers, especially as the industry prepares for an influx of members when reform provisions take
Walgreens: Is there a new insurer in town?
Walgreens is apparently planning to sell health insurance with different price points and coverage levels through a private insurance exchange this fall. Should existing, well-established insurers be
Anthem launches ACO in California
Anthem Blue Cross and the Individual Practice Association Medical Group of Santa Clara County (SCCIPA) are launching an accountable care organization (ACO) to provide coordinated, seamless medical
Health Net data breach analysis 'flawed,' SSNs exposed
A data breach affecting Health Net members is worse than originally thought; it involved more people and included more sensitive data than the insurer originally reported. IBM, which manages its
Payer-provider lines blur, Partners acquires nonprofit insurer
Partners HealthCare System Inc., the largest hospital and physicians network in Massachusetts, is acquiring Neighborhood Health Plan, a Boston-based nonprofit insurer, which accounts for more than
Aetna, Coventry challenge $2B Medicaid decision
Aetna and Coventry are challenging the Louisiana Health Department’s decision to award a statewide Medicaid program worth $2.2 billion to other health insurers. The Louisiana Department of
State individual market dwindles with Aetna, Cigna departure
Aetna, along with Cigna and three other health insurers, will stop selling individual health insurance policies in Indiana. Aetna says it only has 700 individual health insurance policies in the
