The following health insurers made headlines this week. They are listed below, beginning with the most recent.
Payer
Attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice and insurers Aetna and Humana answered a judge's closing questions during the final day of an antitrust trial in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, Hartford Courant reports.
Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna and Louisville, Ky.-based Humana pushed back the deadline for their $37 billion acquisition agreement to Feb. 15.
Since open enrollment for ACA marketplace plans began Nov. 1, 6.4 million individuals have enrolled in plans through the health insurance marketplace, reflecting an increase of 400,000 compared to the same period last year.
Some Los Angeles County residents are alleging they were incorrectly dropped from California's Medicaid program and as a result have faced challenges with regaining health coverage and seeking care from physicians, Los Angeles Times reports.
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A U.S. Department of Justice witness argued Tuesday Connecticut is among the areas that would see a lack of competition in the health insurance market should Anthem's proposed $54 billion acquisition of Cigna succeed, Hartford Courant reports.
Cigna Global Health Benefits Europe appointed John Kaye as managing director of its Europe global health benefits business.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio launched a campaign with the goal of enrolling 50,000 residents in health plans through the federal exchange by the end of 2017.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska will start requiring first day precertification for nonemergency inpatient and observation admissions to hospitals and other healthcare facilities, Omaha World-Herald reports.
Marietta, Ga.-based WellStar Health System and Atlanta-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia will collaborate on a federal insurance exchange product, The Marietta Daily Journal reports.