Payer

Vindell Washington, MD, transitioned from the provider and health IT sectors to become CMO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana June 8.

New Orleans-based Ochsner Health System and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana partnered to provide a joint health plan.

Average deductibles for employer-sponsored plans increased 10.1 percent, or $155, from 2015 to 2016, according to SHADAC, a health policy research center affiliated with Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth Group signed a nonbinding agreement to purchase all shares of Banmedica SA, a health insurance and clinic operator in Chile, Reuters reports.

Between 100 and 200 Springdale, Ark.-based Northwest Health physicians went out-of-network with UnitedHealthcare Aug. 1 following a contract dispute that could affect the network status of the system's hospitals if unresolved, according to a Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette report.

The number of uninsured Americans could increase by 9.4 million if the federal government stops funding cost-sharing reductions, which help insurers offset the cost of offering eligible ACA health plan enrollees lower deductibles, copayments, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums, according to…

Birmingham-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama faces an $8 million penalty from the Alabama Department of Insurance for selling policies at rates discrepant from those approved between 2005 to 2013, AL.com reports.

Three major commercial payers saw their stock prices fall last week.

Companies in the payer space actively pursuing mergers and acquisitions are outpacing their competitors as payment models shift from fee-for-service to value-based care, according to a Brocair Partners market analysis.

Jersey City, N.J.-based CarePoint Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield resolved a more than 2-year-old contract dispute and $76 million lawsuit over billing in late August, NJ Spotlight reports.