Payer

Research from the Urban Institute found that among many healthcare specialties, markups above Medicare prices were upward of 330 percent. 

Springfield Clinic (Ill.) alerted patients of an upcoming contract deadline with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, calling the thought of the insurer terminating the contract as "unimaginable."

UnitedHealthcare has launched a virtual-first health plan for employers in nine markets.

Forty-four percent of employees purchased additional health coverage as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey from Aflac. 

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Priority Health is launching MyPriority Travel, a series of health plans that extend coverage for residents who travel out of state or work remotely. 

Premera Blue Cross is joining Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City in suing GS Labs over allegedly inflating the prices of COVID-19 tests. 

New York City-based EmblemHealth laid off 89 employees starting Oct. 15, according to an Oct. 18 New York labor department filing.

Blue Shield of California and Google Cloud are collaborating on a cloud-based solution that allows the insurer to process claims in real time. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is requiring its employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to WIBW.

On average, Americans cumulatively spend 12 million hours a week talking to their health insurer, according to a Stanford study.