UnitedHealth Group CEO David Wichmann earned nearly $17.4 million in 2017, which is 298 times more than the company's median employee, according to UnitedHealth's 2018 proxy statement.  By Alia Paavola - 4/23/18

Humana, in partnership with two private equity firms, will purchase hospice operator Curo Health Services, based in Mooresville, N.C., for $1.4 billion — marking the trio's second deal in five months to beef up its hospice care portfolio, reports Reuters.  By Alia Paavola - 4/23/18

Though mega-mergers have taken the insurance industry by storm, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care President and CEO Eric Schultz believes there is still an important place for regional payers, according to Hartford Business.  By Leo Vartorella - 4/23/18

A network dispute between Brentwood, Tenn.-based TriStar Health, a subsidiary of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee produced $14 million in patient balance bills, according to an article submitted to the Tennessean by Alex Tolbert,  founder of consulting group Bernard Health.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/23/18

Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp., the umbrella company of five Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, reported a $1.26 billion surplus in 2017, turning around three years of losses and modest growth, Crain's Chicago Business reports.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/20/18

Cigna will phase out 50 positions at an office in Hooksett, N.H., WMUR 9 reports.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/20/18

Albuquerque-based New Mexico Heart Institute, one of the state's largest cardiology practices, terminated its contract with Presbyterian Health Plan — a move that will affect about 3,000 patients, the Albuquerque Journal reports.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/20/18

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims granted class-action status for a health insurer's lawsuit against the U.S. government over its decision to end cost-sharing reduction payments, which helped insurers subsidize the cost of coverage for low-income Americans.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/20/18

The payment landscape is undergoing profound changes as a greater burden of healthcare costs move from insurers to patients.  By Michele Perry, CEO of Relatient - 4/19/18

Aetna is adding more than 250 jobs at its Wellesley, Mass.-based consumer health and services offices, The Boston Globe reports.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/19/18

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois can no longer enroll members in the state's overhauled managed care Medicaid program, according to Crain's Chicago Business.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/19/18

Humana added a second specialty bundled payment initiative to its value-based care program: a maternity episode-based model.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/19/18

Cigna confirmed it will undergo Department of Justice scrutiny as it attempts to acquire Express Scripts for $54 billion, according to a Bloomberg report.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/19/18

Aetna will realign its business segments as it gears up for a pending $69 billion merger with CVS Health.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/18/18

Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia shook hands to resolve a weekslong contract lapse that left hundreds of thousands of patients in out-of-network limbo.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/18/18

Health insurance startup Bright Health, led by a former UnitedHealthcare CEO, expanded its coverage to 12,000 members in Colorado during its first year of operation, CNBC reports.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/17/18

Both commercial and federal health plans engage in various practices that complicate the emergency department revenue cycle, says Ed Gaines, JD, chief compliance officer at Zotec Partners.  By Mackenzie Bean - 4/17/18

UnitedHealth Group reported first quarter revenues of $55.2 billion, up 13.3 percent from $48.7 billion in the first quarter of 2017.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/17/18

Republican Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said the state will step in to resolve a contract spat between Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia if the two sides don't ink a new agreement by April 17.  By Morgan Haefner - 4/16/18

The Blue Shield of California Privacy Office confirmed March 23 some of its members protected health information was shared with an insurance broker who was not authorized to access it.  By Julie Spitzer - 4/16/18