Payer

Baton Rouge, La.-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana appointed Vindell Washington, MD, CMO.

Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna may offer individual plans on Nevada's 2018 ACA exchange after pulling its remaining plans from the exchanges in May, according to The Hill. 

Health insurance policyholders begged state regulators to deny Anthem's desired 33.8 percent average rate increase for 2018, labeling it excessive and unaffordable, according to Hartford Courant.

In 2015, 95 percent of the nation's children were insured, according to a Kids Count annual survey released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health and Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna will offer a jointly-owned health plan to residents in northern California next year.

The Iowa Insurance Division submitted a proposal to HHS under the ACA's 1332 wavier section seeking widespread change to its 2018 individual exchange Monday.

Across Ohio, Missouri and Washington state, CMS estimates 47 counties — or about 35,000 Americans — will lack an insurer selling on-exchange individual ACA health plans for 2018.

Tulsa-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, the only payer still participating on the state's ACA exchange, said it will file individual products and rates for Oklahoma's 2018 exchange, NewsOn6.com reports.

Phoenix-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and St. Louis-based Centene's Ambetter arm filed plans with the Arizona Department of Insurance to participate on the state's 2018 ACA exchange, The Arizona Republic reports.

Denver-based Melody Health Insurance acquired Alamosa-based Colorado Choice Health Plans June 1 after gaining regulatory approval from the Colorado Division of Insurance and Attorney General's Office.