Payer

From BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee signing on to a healthcare technology innovation alliance to UnitedHealth Group's Optum launching a new specialty drug management solution, here are five recent payer partnerships and expansions:

UnitedHealthcare dodged a Texas court order that could have required it to disclose rates it negotiated with providers. 

Denver-based Friday Health Plans grew enrollment in its ACA plans by over 300 percent year over year during the previous open enrollment period, the payer announced Feb. 23. 

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee joined the Echo Innovation Alliance, a group dedicated to investing in companies on the cutting edge of healthcare technology. 

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine told providers in October 2021 that there would be delays in claims processing, but four months later, providers said little has changed, according to News Center Maine. 

Work-sponsored health plans aren't addressing the growth of loneliness, which leads to employees missing work  and decreased productivity, according to data from Cigna's Loneliness Index shared with Becker's. 

New Hampshire legislators are looking to fund Medicaid dental coverage with money the state received from a settlement with Centene, according to the Concord Monitor.  

Ten providers — including Northwestern Medicine, Hackensack Meridian Health and Amgen — recently posted job listings seeking leaders to help payer contracting and relations. 

Health Care Services Corp., a Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate, is suing Jazz Pharmaceuticals over narcolepsy drug Xyrem. 

California-based L.A. Care Health Plan is offering primary care physicians incentives to give members their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.