Compensation Issues

Anthem, Cigna and UnitedHealthcare have issued new policies in the last few years that narrow what imaging they will cover in the hospital setting. 

Here are 15 payers that are returning premium revenue to members due to lower healthcare costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Several health insurers have seen their profits climb amid the COVID-19 pandemic as the use of healthcare services fell. 

Highmark has avoided more than $1 billion in costs through its value-based reimbursement program for primary care physicians, the integrated health insurer and provider said Oct. 5.

Premera Blue Cross is cutting about 285 positions, or roughly 8 percent of its workforce, due to the economic effects of COVID-19, according to My Edmonds News.

Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System said it is investing about $6 million annually to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour for full-time, part-time and contract employees.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is providing about $104 million in premium credits to members with fully insured employer coverage, the insurer said Oct. 7.

CVS Health-owned Aetna is eliminating an undisclosed number of jobs at its Hartford, Conn.-based headquarters, according to the Journal Inquirer.

Humana released results from its value-based programs for the past year, estimating that it saved $4 billion in healthcare expenses that would have been recorded under fee-for-service models. 

Female primary care physicians spend more time with patients during visits, but get paid less than their male peers, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found.