Payer

Columbia-based Missouri Care, part of Tampa, Fla.-based managed care provider WellCare, signed a contract with St. Louis-based SSM Health that includes in-network access for Missouri Care's HealthNet Managed Care Members.

The Senate healthcare bill unveiled last Thursday includes a proposal from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, allowing health insurers to sell health plans noncompliant with the ACA — which state insurance regulators fear will reinstate "junk insurance,"  The New York Times…

St. Charles, Mo.-based Mercy patients with health insurance through Indianapolis-based Anthem will be able to access Mercy providers at in-network prices beginning Jan. 1, 2018.

The majority of consumers are using their health savings accounts as an alternative checking account and not an investment account, according to an Employee Benefit Research Institute brief.

Mississippi Affiliated Health Network, a 13-hospital physician-led network in Jackson, aligned with Hartford Conn.-based Aetna for an integrated care delivery model.

Health insurers are speaking out in opposition to a proposal by Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Arizona that would allow payers to offer plans that don't meet ACA coverage requirements, according to Politico.

The following payers made headlines this week, beginning with the most recent.

Fort Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health may end its in-network contract with WellCare Health Plans, a Tampa, Fla.-based Medicaid managed care provider, in 2019, The News-Press reports.

Tulsa-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma's contracts with three Kansas City, Mo.-based Rural Community Hospitals of America subsidiaries expired July 1 following failed negotiations, according to NewsOK.

A $310 million program to provide eligible Minnesota residents 25 percent rebates to offset the cost of health insurance is under budget, Pioneer Press reports.