Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA), a pioneer and global leader in cell-free DNA testing, today announced that the second largest commercial health plan in the United States has extended coverage of non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) to all singleton pregnancies. This announcement comes on the heels of the largest U.S. health plan’s expansion earlier this week. Natera now estimates that over 90% of all commercially-covered lives will have average risk NIPT coverage. [Read more…]

Oscar, the first health insurance company built around a full stack technology platform and a relentless focus on serving our members, today announced it has hired R. Scott Blackley as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective March 16, 2021. Scott will serve on Oscar’s leadership team and report to Chief Executive Officer Mario Schlosser.

Scott has been serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Capital One since May 2016. Prior to that, he served as Capital One’s Principal Accounting Officer and Controller for five years. Before joining Capital One, Scott held various executive positions at Fannie Mae, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and KPMG, LLP.

Scott is succeeding Sid Sankaran, who is leaving the company in Spring 2021 to become Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of SiriusPoint, a global reinsurance company. Sid will become Vice Chairman at Oscar upon Scott’s joining and will join the Board effective June 30, 2021.

Economic activity in the services sector grew in November for the sixth month in a row, say the nation’s purchasing and supply executives in the latest Services ISM® Report On Business®. [Read more…]

A new survey released today by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) in collaboration with research-led consulting firm Heart + Mind Strategies LLC found that more than half of Americans (54%) are experiencing high or very high levels of stress. [Read more…]

The Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP) today announced that the Mutual Protection Trust (MPT), the organization’s core product, has earned another A+ (Superior) Rating with a Stable Outlook from A.M. Best Company, a global full-service credit rating agency dedicated to serving the financial and healthcare service industries. This is the 14th year running that the organization has achieved this distinction. [Read more…]

Employer Direct Healthcare (EDH), a market-leader in the surgical benefit space, announced the hiring of Jerry Fiala as a Vice President of Business Development.

Prior to joining EDH, Fiala provided leadership during the successful implementation of Cleveland Clinic’s strategy of direct contractual engagement with large self-funded employers on a national scale, which included services such as surgical travel programs, online second opinion consultations, and executive health examinations.

Health Alliance Plan (HAP), a Michigan-based nonprofit health plan, is partnering with Peerfit®, a digital health technology company, to bring Peerfit Move to its Medicare Advantage members. Peerfit Move encourages Medicare members to maintain an active lifestyle by providing flexible fitness options and facilitating social connections. The current Peerfit network has more than 290 facilities in Michigan and more than 10,500 nationwide. [Read more…]

WellSpark Health and LAZ Parking, one of the largest parking companies in the country, have partnered to create a next generation employee benefit program in support of the modern workforce. The innovative program is built to understand and respond to the realities people face in our complex world when managing their life and health. [Read more…]

Telehealth claim lines1 increased 2,980 percent nationally from September 2019 to September 2020, rising from 0.16 percent of medical claim lines in September 2019 to 5.07 percent in September 2020, according to new data from FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. However, from month to month, the telehealth share of medical claim lines fell 16.5 percent nationally from 6.07 percent in August 2020 to 5.07 percent in September 2020. The data represent the privately insured population, excluding Medicare and Medicaid. [Read more…]