Payer

Two for-profit hospitals in Hudson County, N.J., are preparing to break in-network ties with the state's largest insurer, according to NJ.com.

Over the past week, Chapel Hill-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has been under fire for technical problems resulting in what company executives are calling the most serious system failure in recent decades.

Three new executives have joined the team at New York City-based Oscar Health, a young insurance company.

The following insurers made headlines this week. They are listed below, beginning with the most recent.

In a Jan. 12 State of the State address, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) said the state will prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving funds through Medicaid, according to ABC News.

Rochester, N.Y.-based Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is offering funds to nonprofit organizations in its upstate New York region, according to 13WHAM.com.

Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish said if Express Scripts — the nation's largest manager of prescription drug benefits — doesn't give Anthem more money in savings, the insurer might look for another pharmacy partner, according to Bloomberg.

At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said he believes the insurer's acquisition of Humana will close this year, according to The New York Times.

Although Tennessee lawmakers rejected Governor Bill Haslam (R)'s Medicaid expansion proposal last year, advocates of the proposal rallied in the state Capitol Jan. 12 to greet lawmakers who were returning for the first day of the legislative session, according to…

Health insurance giant Anthem is expecting positive finances this year, as it said its adjusted net income is expected to rise from an estimated $10.16 per share in 2015 to over $10.80 per share in 2016, according to Reuters.