Author: Andrew Cass

UnitedHealthcare pulled back on plans to implement a controversial gastroenterology endoscopy prior authorization policy that was set to take effect June 1. In its place, the payer set up an advance notification policy for non-screening and nonemergent GI procedures.   

Amerigroup Tennessee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elevance Health, named Natalie Cooper president. 

UnitedHealthcare and Phoenix Children's reached an eleventh-hour agreement to keep the system's patients in network with the payer. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Abilene, Texas-based Hendrick Health have extended their contract by two months as they continue to work out a potential new deal. 

UnitedHealthcare is not implementing a gastroenterology endoscopy prior authorization policy set to take effect June 1 and instead will set up an advance notification process for non-screening GI procedures.  

Florida officials are defending their Medicaid redetermination process after health advocacy groups asked Gov. Ron DeSantis for a pause after about 250,000 residents were disenrolled from the program, Florida Politics reported May 24. 

A minimum of 80 percent of Medicaid beneficiaries disenrolled from the program were booted for procedural reasons in nine states, according to a June 29  report from KFF. 

An alternative to UnitedHealthcare's imminent gastroenterology endoscopy prior authorization policy was rejected by representatives from three GI societies, who said that they were "not in a position to appropriately evaluate the UHC proposal with the limited information presented."

Medicaid work requirements were not included in a debt ceiling deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, The New York Times reported May 29. 

Eight Florida hospitals can pursue a lawsuit against Cigna after a federal appeals court on May 25 overturned a lower court's ruling in favor of the payer.