Author: Jakob Emerson

A federal judge in Washington state ruled Dec. 19 that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois discriminated against transgender individuals by denying coverage for medically necessary gender-affirming care in its administration of employer-provided ERISA health plans.

Becker's compiled some of the most-read payer stories of 2022. While half were about new federal policies, the others centered around mergers and disruptors within the industry.

Friday Health Plans has named Beth Bierbower as CEO, effective Dec. 2.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont will not enter a contract with OneCare Vermont in 2023, citing a lack of desired quality and cost outcomes, along with a new data strategy "that introduces concerns about security and privacy."

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has promoted Bukata Hayes to vice president and chief equity officer. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island has named Anastasia Bergmann as vice president and chief people officer.  

Sachin Jain, MD, has been president and CEO of SCAN Group since 2020. He sat down with Becker's to discuss the company's recently announced combination with CareOregon, along with current and future trends in Medicare Advantage.

From publishing several new proposed rules targeting prior authorization processes to releasing its annual payment updates for physicians, these are 20 recent CMS moves reported by Becker's since Sept. 29:

UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, Elevance Health and Cigna have been named world leaders for corporate sustainability on the 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.

New requirements for payers under CMS' Transparency in Coverage rule take effect Jan. 1.