Payer

Blue Cross and Blue Shield launched the BCBS Health Index to measure health in almost every American county, identifying the top conditions affecting the commercially insured and the conditions' relation to community economic well-being.

Louisville, Ky.-based Humana and St. Petersburg, Fla.-based JSA Medical Group partnered for one primary care practice in Humana's Florida Medicare Advantage network.

Louisville, Ky.-based Humana deployed a mobile- and web-based wellness tracker for employers to enhance their employees' health.

U.S. District Judge John Bates will begin hearing testimonies from Aetna and Humana Dec. 5 as they defend their $37 billion acquisition agreement against a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit.

The department responsible for establishing Minnesota's state-run insurance exchange, MNsure, improperly spent $1.2 million in federal grants, according to a recent federal audit.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced restrictions on underwriting and new federal subsidies to expand access for Americans through the individual and small group health insurance markets.

Zenefits, a software startup based in San Francisco, has been fined $7 million by California's insurance regulator for multiple license violations.

When asked for reason behind increasing health insurance premiums, payers frequently point to the rising cost of prescription drugs as one culprit, with insurers covering a larger share of prescription drug costs today than a decade ago.

Honolulu-based nonprofit payer AlohaCare appointed Laura Esslinger CEO effective Dec. 1, according to Pacific Business News.

Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health is in talks with Blue Shield, Cigna and Health Net regarding contract renewals for 2017, reports Santa Cruz Sentinel.