Payer

Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas, a free program assisting hundreds of seniors navigate Medicare plans, could soon be cut, The Hutchinson News reported.

The Illinois Department of Insurance approved Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna's $34 billion acquisition of Louisville, Ky.-based Humana Thursday. 

As Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare prepares to withdraw from Affordable Care Act exchanges in 16 states, the company is looking to bolster some parts of its workforce, reports The Frederick News-Post.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, the second largest health insurer in New England, has reached deals with pharmaceutical-giants Novartis and Eli Lilly to pay for certain drugs based on patient outcomes, reports STAT.

Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth Group made a deal with Kalamazoo, Mich.-based medical technology producer Medtronic in May, which effectively decreased the number of in-network portable insulin pumps it offers members from nine to three, The New York Times reported.

Florida Healthy Kids, a government-sponsored program offering insurance to children ages 5 to 18 who do not qualify for Medicaid, will eliminate its Stars Plus plan Dec. 31, Naples Daily News reported.

A North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Monday fined Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health Plan $22,000 for not filing advertisements for its Medicare supplement insurance as required by law and for omitting required information from the ads, according to the News &…

A statewide Minnesota Health Action Group Employer Benefit Survey showed employee health insurance remained a top concern for employers.

Hartford, Conn.-based insurer Aetna sold some of its property in Manchester, Conn., to a Massachusetts investment firm for $1.4 million, the Hartford Courant reported.

Hospitals have about $33 million in outstanding claims with collapsed Utah insurance co-op Arches Health Plan, and the state department of insurance likely will not pay out on those claims until 2017, according to the Desert News.