Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Mo.) and Highmark, both nonprofit independent licensees of Blue Cross Blue Shield, are planning to affiliate, according to a Dec. 11 news release. Blue KC will retain its local leadership and headquarters…
Author: Elizabeth Casolo
Average worker contributions toward family insurance premiums grew by 308% between 1999 and 2024, according to a Dec. 8 research letter published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine, both based in Houston, found…
Traditional Medicare could have saved $7 billion from 2019 to 2023 across four services had it mirrored Medicare Advantage’s utilization rates and fraud strategies, according to a December Berkeley Research Group report sponsored by Elevance Health. Because MA plans are…
Amy Schulman will join Elevance Health’s board as an independent director Jan. 12, 2026, according to a Dec. 10 news release. She will serve on the audit and finance committees. Ms. Schulman is currently a managing partner at the venture…
CMS’s proposed Medicare Advantage rule for 2027 includes more leeway for hemp coverage. Hemp has low concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, as defined by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Under the proposal, hulled hemp seed, hemp seed protein powder and hemp…
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Highmark recently shared how it increased generic and biosimilar access to members, focusing on drugs for multiple sclerosis, cancer and autoimmune conditions. The insurer has been working with CivicaScript, a nonprofit generic drug company it helped found, to offer these…
Aetna and Providence Oregon have reestablished their contract, according to a Dec. 4 post from the hospital network. The multiyear agreement brings the hospitals back in network after nearly a year. The contract originally expired Dec. 31, 2024, OregonLive reported,…
While Senate Democrats have been gearing up to vote on their ACA enhanced subsidy extension proposal on Dec. 11, Republicans are readying their own bill. “The way the program is structured, the money goes straight to the insurance companies,” Senate…
CMS issued a bulletin Dec. 8 outlining guidance on Medicaid’s forthcoming work requirements. Some states are already embracing work requirements, while others are looking for exceptions. Here are eight things to know: 1. Work requirements will kick in Jan. 1,…
State Supreme Court of New York County Judge Lyle Frank denied a preliminary injunction that would have blocked the Jan. 1 rollout of NYCE PPO, a self-funded health plan administered by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare’s third-party administrator, UMR. A Dec. 8…