Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health and Cigna entered into a multiyear agreement that ensures Cigna's members have undisrupted access to Mission facilities and providers, the organizations said Oct. 30.

Molina Healthcare lost part of a contract to manage Medicaid services in Texas, according to Seeking Alpha.

Cigna saw its revenues and profits grow in the third quarter of fiscal year 2019, according to a recent earnings statement.

The following payer executives changed their positions in October.

Fewer employers are offering their workers only high-deductible health plans this open enrollment season, according to Kaiser Health News.

Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska is investing $5.7 million into rural healthcare access in the state, the insurer said Oct. 29.

Molina Healthcare saw revenue and net income decline in the third quarter of fiscal year 2019, according to recent earnings statements.

Kimberly Ross will join Cigna's board of directors June 1, 2020, the health insurer said Oct. 29.

Health Care Service Corp., the parent company of several Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, launched a campaign Oct. 29 to help uninsured or underinsured Americans access coverage.

A physician practicing at the University of Mississippi Medical Center filed a lawsuit against his insurers for denying coverage of proton therapy to treat his brain cancer, according to the Sun Herald.

Cigna found programs that offer members financial incentives to improve their health not only boosted health outcomes but lowered total medical costs by 10 percent on average, the company said Oct. 29.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma criticized proposed healthcare reforms like "Medicare for All" and a government-run public health insurance option during remarks at the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas Oct. 27.

While Pittsburgh-based rivals Highmark and UPMC battled over their contract, national payers creeped into the region's private Medicare market that the dueling institutions previously dominated, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

More than 800 people working at Humana will lose their jobs, as the health insurer said Oct. 28 it will cut its payroll by 2 percent by the end of this year, according to the Courier Journal.

Blue Shield of California is participating in a pilot program in the Sacramento, Calif., area that aims to provide an improved claims payment process for physicians and members.

Today, more than 22 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, according to a policy brief published by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a health plan serving more than 3 million members, debuted a program Oct. 16 that aims to reduce disruption when consumers and employers switch health plans.

New CMS data shows two-thirds of Americans looking for health insurance coverage on the federal exchanges can buy plans with monthly premiums of $10 or less, according to Get America Covered, a pro-ACA organization founded by officials who worked in outreach and enrollment for HealthCare.gov.

Cory Scott is no longer the CEO of a joint venture between Arlington-based Texas Health Resources and Aetna, a spokesperson from the venture confirmed with Becker's. 

More than 100 health insurers represented in a class-action lawsuit against the federal government should get $1.6 billion in ACA payments, a judge said.