Medicaid enrollment is dropping across states while total spending in the program increased modestly in fiscal year 2019, according to a policy brief published by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance rejected a proposal from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey that would have outsourced some claim reviewal and medical necessity determination to a third-party company, according to the North Jersey Record.

Here are 11 recent articles posted by Becker's Hospital Review that concern payer-provider relationships:

After more than 10 months of negotiations, Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., agreed to a new three-year contract with Cigna, according to Mass Live.

Molina Healthcare entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Medicaid assets from a New York health plan, the health insurer said Oct. 16. 

UnitedHealth Group and its health services subsidiary Optum are undertaking a new effort to combine health insurance and medical care, according to Forbes contributor Bruce Japsen.

U.S. News & World Report published its annual list of the best health insurance companies offering Medicare Part D prescription drug plans in 2020.

U.S. News & World Report published its annual list of the best health insurance companies offering Medicare Advantage coverage in 2020.

Aetna's vice president of consumer experience, Stan Nowak, joined the board of directors for third-party risk management company Censinet.

Insurer Oscar filed a notice of appeal Oct. 16 after a judge dismissed the startup's lawsuit against Florida Blue, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System will stop considering Anthem members in-network Dec. 31, three months after its contract with Anthem expired, according to The Gainesville Times. 

A member of Humana's board of directors resigned to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest, according to an Oct. 15 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In December 2017, a survey of more than 500 likely voters revealed patients' desire to better understand their healthcare costs ahead of time. The Foundation of Government Accountability found that 82 percent of respondents — regardless of political affiliation, age or gender — wanted to know the cost of nonemergency procedures in advance.

One of UnitedHealthcare's Medicare Advantage plans will face enrollment restrictions for 2020 due to compliance issues, according to the Star Tribune.

More than two years after President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing administration officials to defer and waive implementation of ACA regulations, the administration has continued to chip away at the health law.

The following payer executives changed their positions this month.

UnitedHealth Group posted higher revenues and profits in the third quarter of fiscal year 2019, the health insurer said Oct. 15.

Colorado officials proposed a public option for its state individual health insurance market, The Denver Post reports. 

Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in Jasper, Ind., and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield have hit an impasse in their contract negotiations, according to The Herald.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services asked a state tribunal reviewing how it awarded contracts for its managed Medicaid program to reject claims that its process was influenced by conflicts of interest, according to WRAL.