CMS' Innovation Center revealed June 8 that Maryland will become the first state fully at risk for the total cost of healthcare for Medicare beneficiaries.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/13/18

Humana and EY Advisory outlined an "aspirational vision" for how blockchain might be able to improve maintenance of provider directories in a white paper released June 11.  By Jessica Kim Cohen - 6/12/18

Wellesley, Mass.-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care President and CEO Eric H. Schultz resigned, effective immediately.  By Anuja Vaidya - 6/12/18

On average, Maryland residents face the highest unsubsidized monthly premium for the most common ACA individual marketplace plan next year, when compared to the eight other states that have released preliminary rate information so far, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's 2019 premium tracker.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/12/18

Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law mandating residents buy health insurance beginning in 2020, according to the VTDigger.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/11/18

An in-network contract between Mishawaka, Ind.-based Saint Joseph Health System and Anthem is slated to expire June 30 unless the organizations can negotiate a new agreement, according to the South Bend Tribune.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/11/18

Although Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger President and CEO David T. Feinberg, MD, declined a chance to become the chief executive of a healthcare venture launched by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase, the possibility of someone like him running the company is bad for health insurers, according to Forbes contributor Bruce Jepsen.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/8/18

UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, will acquire Peoples Health, a Metairie, La.-based Medicare Advantage plan, for an undisclosed amount, according to The New Orleans Advocate.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/8/18

A third-party claims reviewer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois discovered one of its physician peer reviewers was using someone else's identity, according to a sample letter posted on the Office of the Vermont Attorney General's website.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/8/18

During the 2018 coverage period, 48 percent of health insurers selling qualified health plans through the ACA marketplace also offered Medicaid managed care coverage within the same state, according to an analysis from the Association for Community Affiliated Health Plans.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/8/18

Since the beginning of 2018, 22 payer-provider health insurance products have been launched, with 73 percent of them being a co-branded joint venture insurance policy, according an Oliver Wyman Health analysis.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/7/18

CVS Health will elevate Aetna's top financial executive to CFO of the combined company — one of several leadership changes CVS unveiled June 6 as it completes its acquisition of the health insurer.  By Alia Paavola - 6/7/18

UnitedHealth Group's Optum is one of two companies involved in a $2.2 billion acquisition of a Tacoma, Wash.-based physician-staffing company from Fresenius, according to the Star Tribune.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/7/18

St. Louis-based Ascension subsidiary St. Vincent, located in Indianapolis, now has an in-network arrangement with Anthem for its microhospitals, according to WFYI Indianapolis.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/7/18

In a healthcare landscape where 70 percent of physicians prefer fee-for-service payment models¹, tying physician payment to outcomes requires realigning entrenched clinical processes with new value-based methods.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/6/18

A number of U.S. health system executives plan to implement Medicare Advantage strategies, but few are optimistic those strategies will be successful, according to a recent survey by Lumeris.  By Kelly Gooch - 6/6/18

Anthem and its affiliates from nine states filed a lawsuit against Sebastopol, Calif.-based Sonoma West Medical Center June 1, accusing the hospital's toxicology program of engaging in fraud and fraudulent concealment, among other charges, according to the Sonoma West Times & News.  By Alyssa Rege - 6/6/18

What picture comes to mind when you think of the relationship between providers and payers?  By Joan Butters, Chief Executive Officer of XSOLIS - 6/5/18

Insurers on the ACA exchanges in New York and Washington state are proposing double-digit premium hikes in 2019, according to The Hill.  By Leo Vartorella - 6/5/18

Cigna inadvertently revealed private information, including bank account details and claims information, of some policyholders in Asia, the health insurer told Bloomberg.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/4/18