CMS has proposed a number of payment and policy changes to the Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug programs for next year, including an increase in payments to the health insurers who offer Medicare Advantage plans.
Payer
Pittsburgh-based Highmark, the longstanding No. 1 insurer in the Western Pennsylvania marketplace, is no longer the top dog, according to the Tribune Review.
Health insurance giant Humana has created a new mobile app that makes crafting end-of-life directives a little bit easier, according to WHAS11.com.
U.S. health insurers will have strong financial results in 2016, but challenges like the disruption from high-profile mega-mergers, will offset positive trends in the credit risk profiles of health insurers, according to Moody's Investors Service.
UnitedHealthcare and Knoxville, Tenn.-based Tennova Healthcare appear to be on the brink of ending their contract beginning March 1, according to a WBRI report.
Air Evac Lifeteam has sued Medical Mutual of Ohio, claiming the payer owes $3.5 million in unpaid bills for its air ambulance services, reports The Plain Dealer.
New York-based Oscar Health, an insurance company start-up, debuted in California during this year's open enrollment period. But the enrollment numbers prove it is off to a slow start in the state.
The following insurers made headlines this week. They are listed below, beginning with the most recent.
Mark Farrah Associates, a healthcare data aggregator and publisher, analyzed the 2015 third quarter results of seven major U.S. health insurers — Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Health Care Service Corporation, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealth Group.
PreferredOne, a Golden Valley, Minn.-based payer, reached a network agreement with Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna this month. Now PreferredOne is hoping to draw in more business from large companies, according to the Star Tribune.