Payer

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina will eliminate a health plan affiliated with Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health and WakeMed Health & Hospitals in Raleigh, N.C., according to WRAL.

HHS issued a final rule on short-term health plans Aug. 1.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma approved Maine's Section 1332 waiver July 30, allowing the state to move forward with changes to its ACA individual marketplace.

Kaiser Permanente Colorado will no longer serve as a Medicaid provider in its northern, southern and mountain service areas of the state, effectively ending coverage for 2,500 patients, The Denver Post reports.

Health insurer Centene and St. Louis-based Ascension agreed to pursue a joint venture to create a Medicare Advantage plan.

UnitedHealth Group's Optum division is opening more urgent care centers in Texas, according to a Star Tribune report.

Several pediatric specialists in Austin, Texas, have notified managed care Medicaid members they cannot access services, claiming health insurers are failing to adequately reimburse them, according the Austin American-Statesman.

Pocatello, Idaho-based Portneuf Medical Center's emergency room physicians are out of network with the state's two largest health insurers after the ER physicians reorganized under a new group, according to the Idaho State Journal.

UnitedHealth Group, Humana and other national health insurers may be on a provider acquisition spree, but Centene Corp.'s CEO said acquiring clinics and physician practices is not part of its strategy, according to a Forbes report.

BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina will offer some members a cash rebate for choosing cheaper physicians and procedures, according to The Herald-Sun.