Payer

A judge's ruling to block Aetna's proposed acquisition of Humana most grabbed the attention of Becker's Hospital Review payer issues readers this past week.

Moody's Investors Service said a federal judge's ruling to block Aetna's proposed $37 acquisition of Humana alleviated the threat of job cuts and will positively affect the credit of the insurer's Hartford headquarters, the region and Connecticut, reports Hartford Courant.

White House officials shared plans Thursday to withdraw ads encouraging Americans to sign up for health insurance through HealthCare.gov in the final days before the open enrollment period for 2017 coverage closes, then reversed that decision Friday afternoon.

The following payers made headlines this week. They are listed below, beginning with the most recent.

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Priority Health and Flint, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care have agreed to add McLaren hospitals and physicians to the Priority Health network.

Atlanta-based Grady Health System and Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna agreed to a new contract to keep all Grady hospitals and physicians in Aetna's network.

As Republican lawmakers continue efforts to repeal and replace the ACA, U.S. health insurers are providing input on changes they would like to see, reports Reuters.

Vermont Health Connect, the state's ACA exchange, is poised for change under Republican Gov. Phil Scott's proposed budget.

Following Cranbury-based AmeriHealth New Jersey's exit from the Medicare Advantage market in south Jersey, Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna's market share increased to 62 percent in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties this month, reports The Inquirer.

Opposition to repeal of the ACA increased from 27 percent in November to 40 percent in January, according to an eHealth report.