Today's Top 20 Stories

  1. NewYork-Presbyterian, Aetna reach deal

    Naomi Diaz -
    New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian has reached a deal with insurer Aetna after weeks of negotiations. 

  2. Elevance Health's specialty care acquisition spree

    Rylee Wilson -
    Elevance Health has picked up several specialty pharmacy and care-based companies in recent years, bolstering the capacity of its health services arm, Carelon. 

  3. Mount Sinai, UnitedHealthcare reach multiyear agreement

    Madeline Ashley -
    UnitedHealthcare and New York City-based Mount Sinai reached a multiyear contract agreement March 19, effective immediately, after a monthslong contract dispute. 

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  1. The 10 best health insurance companies of 2024

    Jakob Emerson -
    Kaiser Permanente is the best U.S. health insurance company in 2024, according to Insure.com's annual ranking.

  2. Highmark Health Plans posts $400M margin for 2023

    Rylee Wilson -
    Highmark Health posted an operating income of $533 million on revenues of $27.1 billion in 2023, bolstered by membership growth in its health plans, the company said. 

  3. Regence BCBS of Utah names medical director

    Rylee Wilson -
    Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah has named Mike Woodruff, MD, as executive medical director. 

  4. CMS adds new ACO model: 5 things to know

    Rylee Wilson -
    CMS will introduce a new payment model designed to spur innovation in primary care for Medicare beneficiaries. 

How one Midwest hospital is driving financial efficiency with interconnected systems

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  1. The succession strategy for a 20-year health insurance CEO

    Rylee Wilson -
    UPMC Health Plan CEO Diane Holder has grown the insurer to 4-million plus members and built a strong team capable of a "seamless transition." 

  2. Elevance's CarelonRx to buy Kroger’s specialty pharmacy 

    Jakob Emerson -
    Kroger is selling its specialty pharmacy business to CarelonRx, the PBM subsidiary of Elevance Health.

  3. Change attack update: What 15 payers discussed with the Biden administration

    Jakob Emerson -
    Fifteen insurers and trade groups met with Biden administration officials March 18 to discuss the industry's ongoing response to the cyberattack on Change Healthcare last month.

  4. Hospitals' Medicare Advantage market share is decreasing — how Geisinger is bucking the trend

    Jakob Emerson -
    Health system-owned Medicare Advantage enrollment continues to grow overall, but providers' share of the national MA market currently sits at 13%, compared to 17% in 2019.

How one Midwest hospital is driving financial efficiency with interconnected systems

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Major time savers can stem from single logins. That's how 1 hospital achieved a 50% reduction in month-end close time — read the short case study, here.

  1. Cigna's 5 highest-earning executives in 2023

    Rylee Wilson -
    Cigna Group CEO David Cordani was paid $21 million in total compensation in 2023, up slightly from 2022. 

  2. Payers to meet with federal officials over Change attack 

    Jakob Emerson -
    Federal health officials and payers are expected to meet March 18 to discuss how to support providers still struggling financially following the February cyberattack on UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare, according to a Bloomberg report.

  3. 5 trends shaping the future of Medicare Advantage

    Rylee Wilson -
    Higher medical spending could be the new normal in Medicare Advantage — and insurers will have to find a way to respond, McKinsey analysts wrote. 

  4. MedPAC: Medicare Advantage needs major overhaul — now

    Rylee Wilson -
    The Medicare Payment and Advisory Commission called for a "major overhaul" of Medicare Advantage policies in its annual report to Congress. 

  5. Anthem loses out on Kentucky Medicaid contract after court ruling

    Jakob Emerson -
    Elevance Health's Anthem BCBS subsidiary will not administer Medicaid benefits in Kentucky, the state's supreme court ruled March 14, the Kentucky Lantern reported.

  6. Optum receives green light for emergency purchase of Oregon clinic

    Jakob Emerson -
    Oregon state regulators will allow UnitedHealth Group's Optum to bypass a state review of its planned purchase of Corvallis Clinic, citing an immediate need to maintain the provider's financial solvency.

  7. Hospital CEO blames Medicare Advantage for layoffs

    Rylee Wilson -
    A lack of payments from Medicare Advantage plans is one reason a Connecticut hospital is laying off staff, the Hartford Courant reported March 14. 

  8. UnitedHealth Group in the headlines: 12 updates

    Andrew Cass -
    From the fallout of the Change Healthcare cyberattack to the Justice Department reportedly beginning an antitrust investigation into the company, here are 12 stories involving UnitedHealth Group that Becker's has covered since Feb. 22:  

  9. These 9 states cover Wegovy through Medicaid

    Rylee Wilson -
    Five states offered unrestricted coverage of the weight loss drugs Wegovy and Saxenda, a study published March 14 in JAMA found. 

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