A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a new bill to reform prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage plans.

CMS issued guidance May 13 outlining how states can use funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for Medicaid programs.

The following payer executive changes were announced in May so far:

Oscar Health reported a $87.4 million net loss in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, according to financial documents the insurer released May 13.

The Concord, Calif.-based Sutter Health and Aetna joint health plan announced it will offer fully insured products to Northern California employers in the 2022 enrollment season, a May 12 news release said. 

SelectHealth, the health insurance unit of Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare, is rebranding its pharmacy benefit manager.

Missouri notified CMS it is formally withdrawing its planned Medicaid expansion, the state governor's office said May 13. 

Cigna president and CEO David Cordani sold 62,123 shares of the payer's stock on May 7, according to Yahoo Finance.

Mississippi is the latest target for Medicaid expansion, according to Forbes.

Braven Health, a health insurance company launched by two providers and a payer in New Jersey, initially enrolled more than 13,000 people in its Medicare Advantage plans, according to a May 13 ROI-NJ.com report.

Biotheranostics, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Hologic, has received expanded Medicare coverage of its Breast Cancer Index test. The additional coverage became effective May 10, according to CMS.

Centene's acquisition of Phoenix-based behavioral health provider Magellan is nearing completion.

Hours before a midnight deadline, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma changed terms in its proposed contract agreement with Saint Francis Health System, according to the CEO of the Tulsa, Okla.-based health system.

Researchers at Evanston, Ill.-based Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management found that hospitals with higher rates of privately insured patients consistently provided better-quality care than those with more publicly insured patients, according to an article published on the school's website.

Thirteen Tennessee Medicaid recipients filed a complaint in U.S. District Court claiming that HHS' approval of the program's block grant waiver violates federal rules, according to the Murfreesboro Post. Tennessee is the first state to receive a Medicaid block grant.

Wellesley, Mass.-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care announced a collaboration with Worcester-based UMass Memorial Health and health innovation center Ariadne Labs on TeamBirth, an initiative to improve maternal healthcare throughout New England.

It's been five years since Iowa moved its Medicaid program from a state-run system to one led by private, out-of-state insurance companies, but criticism of the transition has continued, The Gazette reported.

Andrew Witty, the new CEO of UnitedHealth Group, said many negative effects felt by the insurer during the COVID-19 pandemic will fade in 2022, according to Bloomberg. 

President Joe Biden announced 1 million people have signed up for health coverage during the ACA marketplace's special enrollment period issued earlier this year, ABC News reported.

Health insurer Centene's stock jumped 8.1 percent and closed at $70.45 a share, according to a Nasdaq article published May 10. The payer's stock has increased 5.9 percent over the past four weeks.