Payer

CMS has fined health insurer Aetna $1 million over errors in its pharmacy network listings, according to a Hartford Courant report.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan was able to lower healthcare costs by $50 million in 2013 through its program that rewards hospitals based on the quality of care they provide, according to a report by The Detroit News.

Mark T. Bertolini — chairman and CEO of Aetna — has predicted a number of large companies will announce wage increases for their lowest-paid workers during 2015, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Cincinnati-based UC Health and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield have reached a new agreement on their provider-insurer relationship, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Providence, R.I.-based Lifespan, the state's largest health system, and Watertown, Mass.-based Tufts Health Plan have teamed up to launch Lifespan Premier Choice, a tiered network plan.

Buffalo, N.Y.-based payer Univera Healthcare announced it will be one of the first insurers to participate in Choosing Wisely, a nationwide campaign launched in 2012 to reduce unnecessary and wasteful healthcare tests and treatments.

Nonprofit San Francisco-based Blue Shield of California, the state's third-largest health insurer, faces new pressure to lower its rates for members, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Health insurer UnitedHealth Group has agreed to combine OptumRx, its free-standing pharmacy care services business, with Catamaran Corp., a pharmacy benefit management company based in Schaumburg, Ill.

Merger and acquisition activity is expected to grow in the near term, according to Atlantic Information Service's Health Plan Week.

Land of Lincoln Health, the only nonprofit health insurance Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan in Illinois, announced that it has enrolled more than 50,000 members, exceeding its 2015 membership goal by more than eight months.