Payer

Poll: Employers cite healthcare costs as No. 1 company challenge

Only 45 percent of small and mid-sized business executives say they are ready for the implementation of the employer mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a recent survey conducted by the Lucas Group. The employer…

More than half former participants won't use federal exchanges this year

Fifty-one percent of Americans who used healthcare exchanges set up by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act last year through Healthcare.gov don't plan on participating in them this year when open enrollment restarts on Nov. 15, according to a…

Aetna to acquire private exchange provider Bswift for $400M

Health insurer Aetna has announced plans to acquire Chicago-based Bswift, an online private exchange provider, for $400 million, according to a Crain's Chicago Business report.

Blue Cross Blue Shield sends 42,000 customers in North Carolina wrong renewal rates

Roughly 42,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield customers in North Carolina have received letters with incorrect rates, according The Charlotte Observer.

Insurers predict 20% jump in 2015 enrollment numbers

Insurers that plan to sell 2015 health plans on the federal and state exchanges are predicting at least 20 percent more customers will sign up during the open enrollment period, according to a Reuters report.

Physicians: Top 7 insurers

Here are the top seven insurers that were rated best overall by physicians, according to the Medscape Insurer Ratings Report 2014.

UnitedHealthcare to offer plans on Alabama insurance exchange

UnitedHealthcare has announced plans to offer insurance policies on Alabama's federal- operated exchange this year after opting out in 2013, according to an Insurance Journal report.

ALS patients with Medicare could lose access to speech-generation devices

On Dec. 1, Medicare patients with ALS could lose access to technological advances that allow them to better communicate, according to a Kaiser Health News report.

OIG: Hackensack UMC received $1.7M in Medicare overpayments

Hackensack (N.J.) UMC received more than $1.7 million in overpayments from Medicare from April 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2012, according to a recent OIG audit report.

Privately insured Americans paid more for fewer medical services in 2013

Privately insured Americans utilized fewer medical services in 2013 than the previous year, yet healthcare spending increased, according to the recently released 2013 Health Care Cost and Utilization Report.