Payer

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield will offer a Medicare Advantage plan tailored to veterans in 2023, the Rochester, N.Y.-based payer said Oct. 14. 

Plans from Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield organizations in seven states are now available on Hella Health, a digital Medicare enrollment platform. 

If South Dakota voters pass a referendum to expand Medicaid under the ACA in November, it will likely be the last to do so "for some time to come," Politico reported Oct. 14.

CMS will release 90 audits of Medicare Advantage plans accused of overcharging the government in response to a lawsuit from Kaiser Health News, the outlet said Oct. 14. 

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."