Payer

Profitability was down for most of the leading health plans in the U.S. in the first quarter of fiscal year 2015 compared to the same period a year ago, according to an analysis by Mark Farrah Associates.

The American Hospital Association submitted a letter to the Department of Justice and HHS this week citing concerns about the proposed Aetna-Humana deal.

CMS announced the Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design Model on Tuesday, which aims to reduce the utilization of avoidable high-cost care while improving Medicare beneficiaries' health.

San Francisco-based Blue Shield of California boosted executive compensation by $24 million in 2012, according to a confidential California Franchise Tax Board audit reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico will pull out of New Mexico's state health exchange for 2016, according to Las Cruces Sun-News.

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

Cigna and Aetna are bringing on lobbying groups to help them navigate their respective mergers, according to The Hill.

The Nevada Health CO-OP, a nonprofit health insurance option offered on the Nevada exchange, announced Wednesday it will close on Jan. 1, 2016 due to challenging market conditions. The board voted to continue operations through the end of the year…

Despite rising concerns over insurance mega-mergers, some industry experts are urging consumers to look at the benefits of consolidation.

Approximately 97 percent of the markets of insurance companies offering private Medicare Advantage plans in 2012 were "highly concentrated," according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund.