Payer

A contract between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Houston-based CHI St. Luke's Health is set to expire Dec. 16 without a new agreement. The contract termination will affect about 65,000 BCBS of Texas members, according to the Houston…

The following payer executives changed their positions in December so far.

Centene signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pantherx, a Pittsburgh-based pharmacy specializing in drugs to treat rare diseases, the insurer said Dec. 15. 

Centene is pausing expansion of its campus in Clayton, Mo., because of high crime rates, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is partnering with a provider group that is opening six primary care centers in the state, the insurer said Dec. 14. 

Tufts Health Plan has to divest one of its subsidiaries so its merger with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care can move forward, according to the Department of Justice. UnitedHealth Group has already come through as the buyer.

Small and family-owned pharmacies are being left out of a Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina initiative to help members buy healthcare-related items, according to The News & Observer.  

Insurers are well-positioned to manage costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as new healthcare business competition from Amazon, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Cigna announced six leadership changes across its insurance and Evernorth health services Dec. 10.

Humana will offer its own version of CMS' Primary Care First model across 48 states and the District of Columbia, the insurer said Dec. 10.