Payer

Though some contract negotiations with providers came "down to the wire" last year, UnitedHealthcare executives said the payer did not see more contract splits than usual in 2023. 

RSV vaccinations brought more older adults to their primary care offices in the last months of 2023, one factor behind rising medical costs in Medicare Advantage, UnitedHealth Group executives said. 

UnitedHealth Group recorded double-digit growth in revenue year over year across its core lines of business at UnitedHealthcare and Optum, according to the company's fourth quarter earnings report released Jan. 12.

Outdated eligibility systems and staff shortages are making the Medicaid redetermination process more difficult, state officials told KFF. 

More seniors and dual-eligible individuals continue to enroll in Medicare Advantage plans, but the number of plans available decreased in 2024, according to an AHIP report published Jan. 9.

Over 20 million people have enrolled in individual insurance plans on the ACA exchange for 2024, CMS said Jan. 10. 

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has launched an online independent appeal process for state residents who believe their health plan wrongly denied a medical claim.

The Cigna Group is getting ready to launch a new program that offers employers and health plan sponsors a way to manage obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease using weight loss drugs, or GLP-1s.

UnitedHealth Group is the world's largest insurance company by net premiums for the ninth year in a row, according to AM Best's annual ranking of global insurers published in January. 

Medical costs for 2023 may be higher than CVS Health projected, CFO Thomas Cowhey said.