Timely Health Plan News and Commmentary.
FAIR Health's consumer website marked another year as the preeminent site for consumers to access accurate, actionable healthcare cost estimates and health insurance information. In a time of flux in healthcare policy at the federal and state levels, … [Continue reading]
International Medical Group® (IMG®), a leader in global benefits and assistance services, recently announced the company’s new corporate branding and logo. … [Continue reading]
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) is the only carrier offering retail health benefit plans on the Texas Health Insurance Marketplace in every county of the state in 2017 with Blue Advantage HMO? and Blue Advantage Plus HMO? plans. These … [Continue reading]
The annual enrollment period for Medicare ends next week for most Medicare beneficiaries. For the first time, Magnolia Health, is offering a Medicare Advantage HMO, available to anyone eligible for Medicare and living in the following counties in … [Continue reading]
Think you can't haggle over medical costs? Or demand that your doctor see you on time? The December issue of AARP Bulletin examines how to become a more effective advocate for yourself to receive better health care for less money. The issue also … [Continue reading]
Former Walmart associate Jacqueline Cote and her lawyers filed a motion today asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to grant preliminary approval of a class action settlement in Cote's action that challenged Walmart's lack … [Continue reading]
Sovereign Health, a leading national provider of behavioral health treatment services, has announced the seventh installment of the "Beyond NIMBY" series, a second series that addresses the strong community opposition to recovery-oriented housing and … [Continue reading]
UPMC Health Plan Service and Sales Associates are now available to answer individual's health insurance questions and meet your health care coverage needs at a new Monroeville Mall store. The grand opening celebration was today, Saturday, Nov. 5, … [Continue reading]
Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) announced recently that its subsidiary, Kentucky Spirit Health Plan, Inc. (Kentucky Spirit), has settled all lawsuits and complaints associated with its contract with the Commonwealth of Kentucky (the Commonwealth). … [Continue reading]
Seven California news stations have not aired a single story about Proposition 61 to educate voters on the measure that would cap state prescription drug prices, despite receiving nearly $1.7 million in ad money from the pharmaceutical industry's … [Continue reading]
Consumer Watchdog today called out the Kaiser Family Foundation for holding a one-sided debate on drug price controls tomorrow that allows the opponents of Prop 61, the drug makers who raised $90 million against the effort to rein in California's … [Continue reading]
Focused on increasing access to quality care to Medicare beneficiaries, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) is offering more options for health care coverage that provides them additional choice, optimized networks, flexibility and … [Continue reading]
Health insurance premiums will likely increase by an average of 76 percent for Oklahomans who buy individual coverage through the Affordable Care Act's marketplace. The increases for individual market plans range from 58 percent to 96 percent. … [Continue reading]
Effective October 1, 2016, the Medi-Cal Fee-For-Service program provides unrestricted, $0 copay access to NARCAN® Nasal Spray for its beneficiaries. As a result of this decision, beneficiaries can now obtain NARCAN® Nasal Spray from pharmacists … [Continue reading]
Alignment Healthcare has hired former Aetna executive Kevin P. Enterlein to head its Florida market, which the California-based population health management company entered January 1st. … [Continue reading]
Karen Brach has been named the new President of Meridian Health Plan of Illinois and is scheduled to step into that role on April 5. Brach is a managed care executive with more than 15 years of Medicaid and Medicare managed care senior leadership … [Continue reading]
AmeriVeri (http://www.ameriveri.com/) helps protect the integrity of Medical Records and saves patients from unnecessary, costly and possibly dangerous treatments resulting from medical coding errors. What many don't realize is how shockingly common … [Continue reading]
While care transformation continues to lead the list of concerns for hospital and health system executives, this year two of the top four topics relate to patients' non-clinical needs, according to The Advisory Board Company's Annual Health Care CEO … [Continue reading]
Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) has appointed Mark Brooks to Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Brooks will oversee the development and implementation of all information technology and systems for Centene. … [Continue reading]
In 2015, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), the state's largest health insurer, collaborated with nearly 500 community organizations through employee volunteers and financial investments to help prevent and manage heart disease, cancer, … [Continue reading]
According to the latest survey conducted by leading personal finance website GOBankingRates.com, 43 percent of Americans expect to pay more for health insurance in 2016, with 23 percent expecting to pay "a little more than the last year" and 20 … [Continue reading]
GeoBlue today announced the appointment of Guillaume Deybach as President and CEO for parent company Highway to Health, Inc (HTH). This concludes the global search conducted over a period of several months for an exceptional candidate able to … [Continue reading]
Leading global startup accelerator Dreamit announced today that the Dreamit Health program developed in collaboration with Penn Medicine and Independence Blue Cross (Independence) has received a $325,000 grant from Blackstone Charitable Foundation to … [Continue reading]
Capital BlueCross today announced Chris Davis as the company's new vice president of ancillary services. Davis was previously vice president of sales and service at Dominion Dental Services, a national dental and vision plan administrator … [Continue reading]
ProAssurance Corporation (NYSE: PRA) announced that Chief Financial Officer Edward L. Rand, Jr. will assume additional duties as the President of Medmarc, the Company's life science and legal professional liability insurance subsidiary. Additionally, … [Continue reading]
Paradigm, a molecular information & Next Generation Sequencing corporation specializing in providing testing for cancer patients recently announced that it has entered into a contractual agreement with UnitedHealthcare for coverage of … [Continue reading]
Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), with the approval of its Governing Board, added $5 million additional dollars to its Network Enhancement Fund (NEF) to bring new providers to practice in the Inland Empire (IE) to help improve access to care for more … [Continue reading]
As the number of Minnesota soldiers returning home after serving overseas continues to increase, so do the challenges that come with transitioning into work and civilian life. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross), which has long … [Continue reading]
"In just ten days, January 31, 2016, most residents of Atlanta must have health insurance or face new tax penalties," said Dr. Jane L. Delgado, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the nation's leading Hispanic health … [Continue reading]
January 31st marks the end of the third annual enrollment period through the Health Insurance Marketplace. With this deadline quickly approaching, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) is actively providing Texans with health insurance … [Continue reading]
Consumer Watchdog will challenge executives at a Department of Insurance hearing into the proposed Centene/Health Net merger to commit to strong consumer protections as conditions of a merger approval. The Department of Insurance has broad … [Continue reading]
As monthly premiums for the most popular plans offered under the Affordable Care Act are seeing a 10.1 percent spike up from 2015*, GOBankingRates conducted a study to see which states' residents are paying more (or less) for health insurance in 2016 … [Continue reading]
CentraState Medical Center is establishing a new benchmark for patient education best practices by integrating video medication education with a patient’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) using in-room televisions. Partnering with TeleHealth Services, … [Continue reading]
The deadline is drawing near for uninsured consumers to sign up for Affordable Health Care this month. Numerous legislators across the country continue to wrestle with whether to expand their state's Medicaid provisions to accommodate ACA. However … [Continue reading]
Capital BlueCross has signed an agreement with The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization focused on health care quality and safety, that will establish a regional hospital recognition program to help employers and consumers in central … [Continue reading]
DinnerTime has signed an agreement with Johns Hopkins HealthCare to provide Johns Hopkins Employer Health Programs (EHP) members with free access to DinnerTime's personalized meal planning and sale-smart shopping service. As of January 1, 2016, Johns … [Continue reading]
WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) announced that it will release its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2015 on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, at approximately 6:30 a.m. Eastern time. The company will also host a conference … [Continue reading]
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) has announced the launch of a comprehensive program aimed at improving quality-of-life for individuals and families facing advanced illnesses and the end of life. … [Continue reading]
The HealthWell Foundation®, an independent non-profit that provides a financial lifeline for inadequately insured Americans, has announced it has opened a new fund to provide financial assistance to Medicare patients suffering from renal cell … [Continue reading]
Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania (SHIP) has announced that it has executed a reinsurance transaction with Teachers Protective Mutual, a mutual insurance company, for SHIP to reinsure all of Teacher's long-term care business. Founded … [Continue reading]
WellStar Health System is deploying an innovative solution to improve the patient experience while providing better patient care. WellStar's electronic medical record patient portal, WellStar MyChart, will provide patients with round-the-clock access … [Continue reading]
hCentive, the leader in health insurance exchange solutions, announced recently that the company has added new health and ancillary insurance carriers and benefits administrators to its WebInsure Benefits marketplace. WebInsure Benefits is a single … [Continue reading]
WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), a leading provider of managed care services for government-sponsored health care programs, announced recently that it honored its high-performing network physicians in New York by making them the first … [Continue reading]
The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) has hailed passage of the Policyholder Protection Act. The measure was included in the omnibus appropriations agreement that was passed 316-113 in the House and 65-33 in the Senate on … [Continue reading]
Thirty-two hospitals in 15 states agreed to pay more than $28 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit brought by Phillips & Cohen LLP alleging that the hospitals overcharged Medicare for a type of back surgery known as kyphoplasty. … [Continue reading]
WellCare of Iowa, a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), announced today that the company will aggressively contest the order issued by Janet Phipps, director of Iowa's Department of Administrative Services, which overturned the … [Continue reading]
PROCEPT BioRobotics, a privately held medical device company based in Silicon Valley, announced today the closing of $42 million in a venture round of equity financing led by Novo A/S. New investor CPMG, Inc. and existing investors also participated … [Continue reading]
Hemp Health Inc., maker of cannabidiol (CBD) products, today introduced THC Buzzkill, a patent-pending CBD supplement that counteracts the 'high' of marijuana. Sold as an oral spray, THC Buzzkill absorbs into the bloodstream rapidly and lessens the … [Continue reading]
The twenty-first annual BIO-Europe® international life science partnering conference will be held in Munich, Germany, November 2–4, 2015. Organized by EBD Group, the event is co-hosted by BioM Biotech Cluster Development, the Bavarian Ministry of … [Continue reading]
Moleculera Labs today announced the receipt of a two-year, $300,000 matching grant from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). This grant supports the development and clinical validation of new diagnostic testing … [Continue reading]
Equifax Workforce Solutions, a leader in human resource, analytics and verification services, and a business unit of Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX), has achieved a major milestone in Affordable Care Act (ACA) management for employers. The company's ACA … [Continue reading]
On July 30, 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare as well as Medicaid into law. The following year, slightly more than 19 million older Americans had Medicare coverage. Since then, Medicare has grown, and today covers more than 54 million … [Continue reading]
The Medical Tourism Association® and Beijing Great-Idea Business Resources Company Ltd. have partnered to hold the World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress Asia-Pacific 2015, Nov. 14-16, 2015, in Guilin, China. Renée-Marie Stephano, … [Continue reading]
PDI, Inc. (NASDAQ: PDII) subsidiary Interpace Diagnostics announced that effective June 2015, ThyGenX™,i the company's genetic mutation panel, has been approved by Aetna for assessing fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples from indeterminate thyroid … [Continue reading]
GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation (GuideWell) has entered into a strategic partnership with Alignment Healthcare, LLC (Alignment Healthcare), a population health management company with technology-enabled clinical integration at its core. The new … [Continue reading]
The prevalence of chronic conditions presents one of the greatest risks to the U.S in terms of population health and well-being. However, many serious conditions such as hypertension or hyperlipidemia can be successfully managed if the patient … [Continue reading]
EHE International, the recognized leader in preventive medicine and annual physical exams, today announced that the Prime Healthcare, Avon, CT office has been named an EHE-certified preventive care center. Through Prime Healthcare, Avon, EHE members … [Continue reading]
To expedite payment reform across the U.S., the non-profit Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute (HCI3) has partnered with key stakeholders to support the transformation to a health care system based on quality and affordability. HCI3 partners … [Continue reading]
MTBC (NASDAQ: MTBC), a leading provider of fully-integrated, web-based healthcare IT and revenue cycle management solutions has commenced beta testing of MTBC SameDay Funding™ (MTBC SDF™), which will ensure that healthcare providers receive advanced … [Continue reading]
Governor Tom Wolf has announced that Highmark will continue to cover pregnancy and related care at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC in 2015, despite it no longer being in their network of providers. Coverage for these services will be at in-network … [Continue reading]
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) applauds two crucial provisions in draft legislation issued this week by the House Energy and Commerce Committee that combat the abuse of controlled substances and payment fraud in the Medicare Part D … [Continue reading]
Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced that its wholly-owned Florida subsidiary, Sunshine Health, was elevated to Commendable Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Medical Managed Assistance and Child … [Continue reading]
Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON), has announced that employers and individuals participating in the Aon Active Health Exchange are seeing notable reductions in health care spend for the … [Continue reading]
Thousands of Pennsylvanians receive medical services every day from local health care systems. Each of these facilities has its own physicians and practitioners with their own specialized knowledge gained from their own experience providing care. But … [Continue reading]
Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA), a leading health care services and technology company focused on the alternate site health care provider marketplace, today announced the release of a new white paper titled, "The Right Care for the Right … [Continue reading]
As consumers look for new ways to obtain the best possible care and lower their health care costs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), the largest provider of health benefits in the state, announces the enhanced Provider Finder, an online … [Continue reading]
SpendWell Health, an online marketplace for health care services, has partnered with PaySpan®, Inc., a leading provider of health care reimbursement and payment automation services. Through the partnership, the SpendWell consumer retail experience of … [Continue reading]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued quality and financial performance results showing that Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have improved patient care and produced hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for … [Continue reading]
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) ranked Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States the #1 health plan in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The NCQA Health Insurance Plan Rankings initiative is a comprehensive and … [Continue reading]
Meridian Health Plan of Iowa is the number one Medicaid HMO in Iowa and is the number 38 Medicaid HMO in the US according to NCQA's Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014–2015. Meridian Health Plan of Iowa's performance in NCQA's Medicaid … [Continue reading]
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act), legislation which includes hospice integrity provisions that are backed by the hospice community. The … [Continue reading]
The Corporate Whistleblower Center is urging physicians, or employees of any type of healthcare company to call them at 866-714-6466, if they possess well documented proof the company is overbilling Medicare out of hundreds of thousands, or millions … [Continue reading]
Propeller Health has raised $14.5 million in Series B financing, led by Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE) with participation from Series A investor The Social+Capital Partnership. Propeller Health will use the funding to accelerate product … [Continue reading]
Transamerica Retirement Solutions, a sponsor of the Institute for Diversity in Health Management ("the Institute"), has announced the recipients of the 2014 Leaders in Health Care Scholarship. This year's winners, Sheryl Muirhead-McCrae and Tina … [Continue reading]
NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), the industry's leading provider of cloud-based financials / ERP and omnichannel commerce software suites, today announced a strategic partnership with Maxwell Health that combines Maxwell's revolutionary cloud solution for … [Continue reading]
Adult obesity rates remained high overall, increased in six states in the past year, and did not decrease in any, according to The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the … [Continue reading]
CAQH® today announced that COB Smart™ has launched in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, enabling health plans and providers to identify overlapping insurance coverage nationwide. A CAQH Solution™, COB Smart determines when an individual is … [Continue reading]
Twenty Five percent of Americans say they currently have more medical debt than emergency savings, according to a new Bankrate.com (NYSE: RATE) report. This number nearly doubles (44%) among those earning less than $30,000 per year. Furthermore, … [Continue reading]
Millennium Health, a leading health solutions company, will have a significant presence at PAINWeek® 2014, the nation's largest annual meeting for frontline clinicians with an interest in pain management. PAINWeek takes place Sept. 2-6 in Las … [Continue reading]
Edison Nation Medical, the premier healthcare innovation marketplace, today announced a partnership with the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), the leading professional association of respiratory care specialists. Edison Nation … [Continue reading]
HealthLink Europe (http://www.healthlinkeurope.com) has expanded its North American operations through its subsidiary HealthLink International, by opening a 100% medical facility, providing warehousing, fulfillment and order to cash services for … [Continue reading]
Low T Center has acquired two new locations in Little Rock and Conway from APEX Men's Health. Low T Center will bring their unique business model to the region, offering convenient, personalized and monitored testosterone treatment. Low T … [Continue reading]
We Care Insurance Broking Services announced the launch of its online portal http://www.wecareinsurance.in for searching, comparing and buying insurance policy over the web. With an ambitious library of 1000+ products covering 50 insurance companies, … [Continue reading]
According to the new research report "Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market by Product & Services (Equipment, Reagent, Primer, Probe, Custom Oligos), End-User (Research, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology), Application (Diagnostics, PCR, QPCR, Gene Synthesis, … [Continue reading]
For the seventh consecutive year, Rising Medical Solutions (Rising) has earned a spot on Inc. magazine's Inc. 500|5000 list, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The honor roll represents the most comprehensive look … [Continue reading]
A new study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society found that house calls to elderly patients with chronic conditions keep healthcare costs down by reducing the need for expensive emergency room visits. The patients who utilize this … [Continue reading]
Buckeye Health Plan (Buckeye), formerly known as Buckeye Community Health Plan, today announced a new name and look designed to project the innovative, customer-centered mission and goals of the company. During the past few years, Buckeye has … [Continue reading]
Capital BlueCross has long supported programs that increase access to health care and health coverage for our community. This tradition of service continues through our work with the Children's Health Insurance Program and most recently with our … [Continue reading]
AARP Pennsylvania released the following statement in response to federal officials today approving a waiver to expand Medicaid for Pennsylvania: "AARP Pennsylvania is pleased that an agreement has been reached to provide health coverage to more … [Continue reading]
Edison Nation Medical, the premier healthcare innovation marketplace, today announced a worldwide search for product ideas to improve the health and wellness of the senior population. Promising ideas uncovered through the 6-month search … [Continue reading]
Nonin Medical, Inc., the inventor of finger pulse oximetry and a leader in noninvasive medical monitoring, today announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Nonin Model 3231 OEM/eHealth finger pulse oximeter for use in the … [Continue reading]
EndoChoice® today announced David Gill has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. The company also announced it has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine. The … [Continue reading]
In recognition of the increased risks that seniors have of developing health complications from the flu, pneumonia, shingles and other illnesses, CVS/pharmacy® and MinuteClinic® have declared September to be Senior Vaccination Month. Because people's … [Continue reading]
For children with food allergies, a trace amount of a substance can trigger deadly anaphylaxis within minutes of ingestion – the fear of which can be life altering for many families. To give hope to these patients and their families, researchers at … [Continue reading]
BloodCenter of Wisconsin's Diagnostic Laboratories today announced the availability of an innovative Erythroid Chimerism test to monitor erythroid lineage chimerism in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) following allogeneic bone marrow … [Continue reading]
According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Market (Tags, Readers, Middleware, Printers and Cabinets) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - … [Continue reading]
Sunshine Health, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation, completed the final stages of implementation of the Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) program in 9 of 11 regions and the Child Welfare (Foster Care) program statewide on August 1st. Additionally, … [Continue reading]
To meet increasing employer demand to have additional benefits delivered via an exchange platform, Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON) today announced it is expanding the coverage options … [Continue reading]
According to AAHomecare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is changing the way it deals with medical equipment repairs. In response to complaints from patients across the nation, CMS has admitted that patients are having trouble … [Continue reading]
MagMutual Insurance Company, the Southeast's policyholder-owned professional liability insurer, has promoted Mike Beckett to regional vice president for Georgia. He will lead the sales and policyholder services across the company's first and largest … [Continue reading]