Payer

Aetna Better Health of Illinois excluded Walgreens from its pharmacy network Dec. 1, a change that affected roughly 400,000 Medicaid members in Illinois, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Here are the 10 most popular payer issues stories published by Becker's Hospital Review in 2020:

The following payer executives changed their positions in December:

Contract negotiations between New York City-based Montefiore Medical Center and UnitedHealthcare have stalled ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline, according to News 12 The Bronx.

Pharmacy benefits manager Prime Therapeutics notified Boeing group health plan members in Washington of a privacy breach that involved incorrect mailings of medical information, according to a Dec. 28 news release.

Cobalt Ventures, a subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, picked up a minority stake in Cedar Gate Technology. Cedar Gate helps providers and payers manage their value-based care programs. 

An email hack at EyeMed, a company that health plans contract with to provide vision benefits, led to a data breach that affected at least 484,157 Aetna members and more than a thousand BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee members.

New Jersey's governor signed legislation Dec. 23 that allows Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to reorganize its business structure, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Here are four recent contract agreements or conflicts between payers and providers:

CMS is proposing coverage changes for certain blood-derived products and treatments.