Payer

UnitedHealth Group detailed a timeline March 7 for restoring key Change Healthcare systems following the unprecedented cyberattack on the company in late February. 

Three weeks after a halted merger between BCBS Louisiana and Elevance Health, two Louisiana state lawmakers have filed bills that would make it more difficult for nonprofit insurers, (such as BCBS Louisiana) to reorganize into a for-profit organization that could…

Some Blue Cross Blue Shield plans are reporting year-end financial losses due to ongoing trends such as rising utilization in the Medicare Advantage space and growing demand for weight loss drugs. 

Payers are reporting significant reductions in the volume of claims they receive from providers following the ransomware attack on Optum's Change Healthcare in late February, but the effect on prior authorization processes has been limited.

Twenty-six states now have more than half of their Medicare enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans, according to a March 5 report from Chartis, a healthcare advisory services firm. 

UnitedHealth Group and its Change Healthcare business are facing a proposed class-action lawsuit in the wake of a cyberattack that downed Change's applications, complicating operations at hospitals, physician practices and pharmacies. 

Humana executives said the cyberattack on Change Healthcare is making it harder for payers to gauge their medical expenses, Bloomberg reported March 5. 

Providence, R.I.-based Lifespan, the state's biggest health system, might not accept Cigna Healthcare insurance moving forward if an agreement over contract negotiations cannot be met by March 31.

Centene's canceled East Coast headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., is gaining interest from potential buyers, the Charlotte Business Journal reported March 4. 

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield reported a net loss of $23 million in 2023, its first loss since 2008, NPR affiliate WXXI reported March 4.