UnitedHealth Group's board of directors authorized a $1.88 per-share cash dividend to be paid on Dec. 12. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' plan to remove 14,000 prior authorization requirements for home care services is a response to the capacity crisis in the state's hospitals, the payer's chief medical officer Sandhya Rao, MD, told NPR affiliate WBUR Nov. 8. 

Thirteen insurers are exiting Medicare Advantage markets in 2024, according to an analysis from KFF published Nov. 7. 

Instacart customers will soon be able to directly purchase groceries using their flexible savings- and health savings accounts.

Oscar Health reached a new multiyear agreement with Sanford Health Plan to drive member engagement through its +Oscar technology platform. 

The average Medicare beneficiary will have 43 Medicare Advantage plans to choose from in 2024, according to an analysis from KFF published Nov. 8. 

Indianapolis-based Elevance Health has reached a settlement with a former executive who left the company for a similar role at Long Beach, Calif.-based Molina Healthcare. 

CMS is proposing a slate of Medicare Advantage policy updates for 2025, and lawmakers are eyeing marketing and networks in the program. 

Humana reported declining income in the face of rising medical costs and is adding new sponsorships. 

Fewer Medicare Advantage plans will offer nonmedical supplemental benefits like home modifications, adult day health services and therapeutic massage in 2024, according to an analysis from ATI Advisory published Oct. 30. 

New York spends the most on its Medicaid managed care program every year, according to data published by KFF in November. The U.S. total is more than $441 billion.

Nebraska has fined Bright Health $1 million and revoked its insurance license with the state following a market conduct examination that found the company violated state law more than 21,000 times over a period of two years.

From UnitedHealthcare starting its second wave of cuts to lawmakers urging CMS to increase its oversight of artificial intelligence used in Medicare Advantage prior authorizations, here are seven updates on prior authorization Becker's has reported since Sept. 18. 

CMS is proposing a standard appeals process for risk adjustment data validation audits in Medicare Advantage. 

Humana announced it is sponsoring four pickleball organizations in response to the increasingly popular sport's "life-changing benefits both on and off the courts," according to a Nov. 6 news release. 

CMS is proposing a set of new Medicare Advantage rules, including new standards that would impose more limits on plans' payments to brokers and limit the role of third-party marketers. 

CMS is proposing new health equity changes for prior authorization policies and procedures at Medicare Advantage organizations to better determine any disproportionate impact on underserved populations that may delay or deny access to services. 

A group of federal lawmakers is asking CMS to increase its oversight of artificial intelligence and algorithms used in Medicare Advantage prior authorization decisions. 

The Illinois Department of Insurance has fined Health Care Service Corp., the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, nearly $1.2 million in less than two years for violating the state's Network Adequacy and Transparency Act, which requires payers to publish complete and accurate provider directory information. 

Increasing Medicare Advantage enrollment in rural areas did not increase rural hospitals' financial distress or risk of closing, a study published Nov. 3 in the American Journal of Managed Care found.