Anthem's acquisition of Cigna and Aetna's takeover of Humana would impede insurance market competition across 24 states, according to newly updated market analyses released by the American Medical Association Wednesday.
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While health insurer Anthem will likely remain in its Affordable Care Act exchanges this year, one analyst said it is probable the payer will exit the exchanges entirely in 2018, Bloomberg reports.
Yale Medicine in New Haven, Conn., has allegedly threatened to leave Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's network should the companies fail to reach an agreement by Oct. 7, reports The CT Mirror.
After a two-year hiatus, NemoursAlfredI.duPontHospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., and UnitedHealthcare of Delaware reached a network agreement Monday. The contract will not affect Nemours' ongoing lawsuit against the insurer over unpaid medical bills, however, reports Delaware Online.
The Department of Defense will now cover gender reassignment surgery for active duty troops if it is deemed medically necessary by their acting physician and approved by senior military health officials, according to the Military Times.
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Health insurers Aetna, Molina Healthcare, WellCare and Gateway Health Plan appealed their loss of managed care contracts that the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services granted to three other payers in August, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Health insurer Humana said it uses consumer data to categorize plan members into personality types to better target its care and products, MedCity News reports.
Amid a shift toward value-based care, some of Montana's largest healthcare systems and its biggest health insurer are teaming up to establish a pilot program to efficiently and securely share patient medical information, the Billings Gazette reports.
Albuquerque-based New Mexico Health Connections, one of six remaining co-ops created under the Affordable Care Act, is doing well, CEO Martin Hickey, MD, told Albuquerque Business First.
Maryland's Affordable Care Act exchange, Maryland Health Connection, has introduced a new mobile app aimed at helping people enroll in insurance coverage using their electronic devices, reports The Baltimore Sun.