Payer

UnitedHealth Group reported double digit revenue growth across all lines of business in the third quarter and a 28.5 percent increase in net revenues, according to its earnings report released Oct. 14.

Valley Health has filed a lawsuit against Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, alleging the payer owes the Winchester, Va.-based health system $11.4 million in past-due reimbursements, according to a statement and court documents Valley Health shared with Becker's.

For women and children, Minnesota is the healthiest state in the nation while Louisiana is the least healthy, according to the "2022 Health of Women and Children Report" from the United Health Foundation.

Though providers have been largely critical of payers for what they say are slow or ineffective prior authorization reforms, these are five innovative systems introduced by payers this year: 

UnitedHealth Group's philanthropic foundation is committing $3 million over the next three years to help nonprofit Active Minds launch a pilot program to better serve youth mental health at the middle school level. 

Two U.S. representatives have introduced a bill that would rename Medicare Advantage plans, prohibit private insurers from using "Medicare" in plan titles or advertisements and impose "significant fines for any insurer that engages in this deceptive practice."

Some U.S. employers are looking at alternative ways to provide healthcare benefits to their retirees who are not eligible for Medicare, according to an Oct. 11 survey from Willis Towers Watson. 

Most state and city-level drug markets are highly-concentrated, with one pharmacy benefit manager controlling a large share of the market, a new report from the American Medical Association found. 

Aetna is launching a new plan in the Atlanta area integrating more benefits from parent company CVS Health, Aetna said Oct. 13. 

Florida can continue to bar the state's Medicaid program from reimbursing patients for most forms of gender-affirming care, Politico reported Oct. 12.