Cigna has reached a new multiyear agreement with Trinity Health of New England's Connecticut facilities, the Hartford Business Journal reported Feb. 29.

New Hampshire officials are planning to leverage fines against Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for issues with mail-order prescriptions. 

UnitedHealthcare and Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health are continuing to negotiate on a new contract but remain at odds as an April 1 split date looms, Fox affiliate WGHP reported Feb. 22. 

UnitedHealthcare and Burlington-based University of Vermont Health Network reached a new contract just days before its current deal was set to expire, VTDigger reported Feb. 21. 

Community Healthcare System is dropping two Medicare Advantage plans, citing unreasonable denials and delayed payments, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported Feb. 20. 

CalOptima, a Medicaid insurer in Orange County, Calif., terminated its contract with four hospitals owned by Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare on Feb. 5.

UnitedHealthcare and Jonesboro, Ark.-based St. Bernards Healthcare have been unable to reach a new contract as several deadlines approach, Arkansas Business reported Feb. 5. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is out of network with San Francisco-based Dignity Health's Arizona locations as of Feb. 1. 

Idaho's state health plan administrator is set to switch from Blue Cross of Idaho to Regence BlueShield of Idaho in July, the Idaho Capital Sun reported Jan. 29.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina's legal challenge to win back the state health plan contract it lost to Aetna can continue, the News and Observer reported Jan. 24. 

West Virginia has awarded Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of West Virginia a four-year Medicaid managed care contract.

New Hampshire has awarded three payers contracts to manage the state's Medicaid managed care programs. 

Livonia Mich.-based Trinity Health and several Anthem BCBS health plans have signed a new multi-year provider network contract that includes advanced collaboration on data connectivity and value-based reimbursement models through the Epic Payer Platform.

CMS uses star ratings to determine the quality of Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans. The agency may terminate a plan sponsor's contract to administer Medicare benefits if it achieves a rating of less than three stars for three consecutive contract years.

Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare is out of network with Humana's Medicare Advantage plans as of Jan. 1. 

Editor's Note: Under a new multi-year agreement, physicians of Baptist Health Medical Group will be in-network for Humana's Medicare Advantage members and commercial group accounts beginning April 1, 2024. 

CMS is terminating Centene's WellCare Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans in Arizona and North Carolina at the end of 2024 following three consecutive years of star ratings below three stars.

Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System is no longer in network with Humana's Medicare Advantage plans, effective Jan. 1.

UnitedHealthcare went out of network with Little Rock, Ark.-based Baptist Health's hospitals and providers after the payer and health system were unable to reach a new contract. 

UnitedHealthcare moved six Mount Sinai Health System hospitals out of network Jan. 1 amid a contract dispute between the payer and New York City-based health system, according to news releases from both organizations.