Aetna Better Health will offer all community supports recommended by the California Health Care Services Department, according to State of Reform. 

Aetna, Oscar Health and Wellfleet must pay $3.1 million after allegedly violating federal and New York mental health parity and cost-sharing laws.

Anthem and Marietta, Ohio-based Memorial Health System reached an agreement that provides in-network access for Anthem members through September 2025, according to The Parkersburg News & Sentinel. 

Nearly one in three workers with health coverage provided by their employer is unhappy with their current plan, according to a survey from UnifiHealth.

Nora Leibowitz is joining CareOregon as its chief strategy officer, the payer announced Dec. 15. 

As payers brace for the implementation of the federal No Surprises Act on Jan. 1, the health insurance industry at large isn't expected to experience a significant financial shift, according to a Dec. 16 Fitch Ratings report. 

An audit conducted by the Oregon Health Authority found that Oregon Health Plan, the state's Medicaid program, improperly issued claims to providers for in-home care and transportation despite patients being hospitalized at the time, according to The Lund Report. 

Point32Health is rolling out a value-based partnership with outpatient addiction and mental healthcare provider Eleanor Health.

While virtual healthcare plans continue to rise in popularity for offering immediate access to care at lower costs, they also have the potential to bring out the worst attributes in healthcare, Stamford (Conn.) Health CEO Kathleen Silard, BSN, RN, wrote in a Dec. 16 op-ed.

About 41 percent of U.S. healthcare dollars involve alternative payment models — a 23 percent increase over five years, according to a report from the Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network.

Ralph Giacobbe is joining Cigna's leadership team as senior vice president and head of investor relations. 

Optum is set to complete its $13 billion merger agreement with Change Healthcare on April 5, 2022, according to a federal filing. 

A judge approved New York City's change to its retiree Medicare contract after a pair of lawsuits, but outlined a new timeline and conditions to its rollout, CBS New York reported Dec. 15.

Flume Health released a digital platform to help health startups build and manage health plans in as little as six months. 

After providing coverage to more than a quarter of the U.S. population in 2019, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment recorded increases of 8.9 percent between July 2020 and May 2021, according to a report from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois is adding Lisle, Ill.-based Amita Health's Cook County providers to its Blue FocusCare ACA network, doubling the network's size. 

UnitedHealth Group has its sights set on development through executive hires, sustainability initiatives and financial goals. 

Centene announced Dec. 14 that it will add a total of five new members to its board of directors, with four appointees already named and the fifth yet to be announced. 

Ten providers recently posted job listings seeking leaders to help payer contracting and relations. 

Provisions outlined in President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Act could reduce employer-sponsored premiums by 1.1 percent on average annually, totaling $111 billion in savings over the next 10 years, according to a Dec. 9 Urban Institute analysis.