UnitedHealth Group will acquire four clinics through its purchase of Peoples Health, a Metairie, La.-based Medicare Advantage plan, according to the Star Tribune.    By Morgan Haefner - 8/8/18

While it may be a few years before the healthcare industry can study the effects of Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase's joint healthcare venture on the industry, Bloomberg columnist Max Nisen claims key industry players should be more concerned by corporations potentially forgoing insurers to contract directly with providers.  By Alyssa Rege - 8/8/18

The American Medical Association called on the Department of Justice Aug. 8 to sue to block CVS Health's proposed $69 billion acquisition of Aetna.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/8/18

Molina Healthcare saw its finances turn around in the three months ended June 30, after the health insurer recorded a $230 million net loss in the second quarter of fiscal year 2017.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/8/18

Cigna's board of directors called out activist investor Carl Icahn for publicly opposing the company's proposed $54 billion takeover of Express Scripts, urging shareholders to support the deal in an Aug. 7 letter.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/8/18

In its attempt to purchase health insurer Aetna for $69 billion, CVS Health has effectively dodged one antitrust hurdle because regulators don't see competitive problems from joining two companies that operate at different levels of the supply chain, according to Bloomberg.  By Alia Paavola - 8/8/18

Bronx, N.Y.-based Montefiore Health System may no longer be a part of Aetna's provider network if the organizations can't resolve a contract dispute before a Sept. 8 deadline, according to The Journal News/lohud.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/8/18

Blue Cross and Blue Shield members in the health insurer's Blue365 wellness program can purchase Fitbits at a reduced cost under a new partnership announced Aug. 7.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/7/18

Pittsburgh-based UPMC and Aetna inked a new agreement to ensure the health insurer's commercial and Medicare Advantage members will remain in network with UPMC facilities and physicians, the companies said Aug. 2.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/7/18

In 2006, 11.4 percent of private-sector employees were enrolled in a high-deductible health plan. That percentage rose to 46.5 percent in 2016, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/7/18

Humana CEO and President Bruce Broussard is joining former President Barack Obama as a recipient of the 2018 Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization.  By Julie Spitzer - 8/7/18

Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Evolent Health is trying to change how providers get paid.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/7/18

Humana filed a lawsuit Aug. 3 against nearly 30 pharmaceutical companies, alleging they united to fix the prices of widely used generic drugs, forcing the health insurer to pay inflated prices.  By Julie Spitzer - 8/7/18

Billionaire Carl Icahn, an activist investor holding about 0.5 percent of Cigna, publicly opposed the health insurer's $54 billion bid for Express Scripts Aug. 7.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/7/18

Starting Aug. 6, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas will no longer pay for out-of-network emergency room visits in which the insurer determines the patient should have sought treatment elsewhere, according to the Houston Chronicle.  By Julie Spitzer - 8/6/18

The former president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island received a seven-figure payout in 2017, despite having left the institution the previous year, WWLP-22 News reports.  By Alyssa Rege - 8/3/18

UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members can no longer access providers with the Aurora-based UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, according to The Denver Post.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/3/18

Aetna reported similar net income in the second quarter of fiscal year 2018 compared to the same period a year prior, boosted by the sale of its domestic group life and disability insurance, and absence management businesses.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/2/18

Cigna reported strong results in the second quarter of fiscal year 2018.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/2/18

Carl Icahn, an activist investor, intends to vote against Cigna's proposed $54 billion takeover of Express Scripts, according to The Wall Street Journal.  By Morgan Haefner - 8/2/18