The following payers made headlines this past week, beginning with the most recent.
Payer
Louisville, Ky.-based Humana will lay off an undisclosed number of employees in Kentucky and Wisconsin as part of the insurer's growth strategy following its unsuccessful bid to merge with Aetna, according to a Humana spokesperson.
Indianapolis-based insurer MDwise will exit Indiana's Medicaid program at the end of this month, laying off 79 workers in the process, according to an IndyStar report.
As Anthem surges forward with efforts to salvage its proposed $54 billion merger with Cigna, several obstacles may hinder the Indianapolis-based insurer from successfully completing the merger.
Dayton, Ohio-based CareSource saw enrollment in its ACA exchange plans increase by roughly 20 percent year-over-year across the four states in which it sells exchange-based insurance, according to a Dayton Daily News report.
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Memphis, Tenn.-based Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and Louisville, Ky.-based Humana inked an agreement to allow the insurer's Medicare Advantage members to access the health system at in-network rates.
Pittsburgh-based UPMC's insurance division grew its membership from about 2.9 million to 3.1 million policyholders in the first half of fiscal year 2017, representing a year-over-year increase of nearly 7 percent.
Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Services will remain in-network with Anthem Blue Cross after backtracking on plans to end its contract with the Indianapolis-based insurer hours after the decision was publicized, reports the Record Searchlight.
Greenville, S.C.-based Bon Secours St. Francis Health System and Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare extended their previously terminated contract through June 30 to avoid a lapse in in-network coverage for approximately 10,000 patients, according to a WSPA.com report.
Payers and providers are continuously looking for ways to join forces in a healthcare ecosystem dependent on reaching patient-centric and value-based goals.