Payer

Birmingham, Ala.-based Cahaba Government Benefit Administrators, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, will lay off 264 workers after losing a Medicare administrative contract, the Birmingham Business Journal reports.

Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna made headlines this year amid an antitrust lawsuit concerning its bid for Humana and a $51.4 million out-of-network billing case with a Texas hospital.

The U.S. Chamber's U.S.-Korea Business Council elected Cigna CEO David Cordani as chairman Dec. 15.

On Dec. 12, Washington state's insurance commissioner issued a cease and desist order against Coordinated Care Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corp., due to an inadequate provider network for its individual policies. While it was lifted Dec. 15, Centene…

Humana and two private equity firms signed a definitive agreement Dec. 19 to acquire Kindred Healthcare, a Louisville, Ky.-based acute care provider, for $4.1 billion in cash including assumption of debt.

Cigna acquired Brighter, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based software-as-a-service digital health plan platform, Dec. 14.

From Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts announcing cash incentives for patients shopping healthcare prices to UnitedHealth Group requesting a federal judge drop a lawsuit claiming the payer defrauded Medicare $1 billion, here are five payers making headlines this week.

Humana's board of directors approved a $3 billion share buyback program, replacing a previous $2.25 billion share repurchase plan.

J. Mario Molina, MD, ousted CEO of Molina Healthcare, stepped down from the insurer's board of directors Dec. 13.

Change Healthcare released a white paper titled "Value-Based Reimbursement: State-by-State," which summarizes the landscape of value-based care in each state and what to expect for the future.