Here are 15 payers that are returning premium revenue to members due to lower healthcare costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Humana is adding four retailers to its preferred standalone Medicare Part D pharmacy network for 2021. 

UnitedHealth Group recorded higher revenue and $3.2 billion in profit during the third quarter of 2020 as the company saw care volumes move closer to pre-pandemic levels.

Several health insurers have seen their profits climb amid the COVID-19 pandemic as the use of healthcare services fell. 

Highmark has avoided more than $1 billion in costs through its value-based reimbursement program for primary care physicians, the integrated health insurer and provider said Oct. 5.

Premera Blue Cross is cutting about 285 positions, or roughly 8 percent of its workforce, due to the economic effects of COVID-19, according to My Edmonds News.

CMS released its report card for Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans Oct. 8.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is providing about $104 million in premium credits to members with fully insured employer coverage, the insurer said Oct. 7.

CVS Health-owned Aetna is eliminating an undisclosed number of jobs at its Hartford, Conn.-based headquarters, according to the Journal Inquirer.

Cigna will not cover MRIs and CT scans performed in a hospital setting if they don't meet new medical necessity requirements, according to a policy that took effect Aug. 1. 

UnitedHealth Group further outlined its stances on creating the "next-generation health system," which includes attaining universal health insurance coverage, healthcare affordability and improving outcomes. 

In September, Columbia, Md.-based MedStar Health and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield unveiled a new value-based partnership that the organizations said will save patients $400 million on healthcare costs in the next seven years.

Clover Health, the Medicare Advantage startup that is working with Walmart, entered into a definitive agreement to become a publicly traded company through a merger with a special acquisition company.

Humana released results from its value-based programs for the past year, estimating that it saved $4 billion in healthcare expenses that would have been recorded under fee-for-service models. 

M Health Fairview and CentraCare may no longer be considered in-network for Humana's Medicare Advantage members beginning next year, according to the Star Tribune.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association named Kim Keck its new president and CEO, effective Jan. 4. 

Payment models that tie compensation to quality and cost goals aren't often focused on disadvantaged communities, and may inadvertently create incentives for hospitals to avoid these groups and sustain structural racism, according to an op-ed published in The New York Times.

Here are six recent contract agreements and conflicts between payers and providers: 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is sending its members about $108 million in premium credits, the insurer said Oct. 6. 

Lori Flees, senior vice president and COO of Walmart Health, officially launched Walmart Insurance Services Oct. 6. The insurance agency will "assist people with enrolling in insurance plans and simplify what's historically been a cumbersome, confusing process," Ms. Flees said.