Pharmacy benefits manager Prime Therapeutics notified Boeing group health plan members in Washington of a privacy breach that involved incorrect mailings of medical information, according to a Dec. 28 news release.

Cobalt Ventures, a subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, picked up a minority stake in Cedar Gate Technology. Cedar Gate helps providers and payers manage their value-based care programs. 

An email hack at EyeMed, a company that health plans contract with to provide vision benefits, led to a data breach that affected at least 484,157 Aetna members and more than a thousand BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee members.

New Jersey's governor signed legislation Dec. 23 that allows Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to reorganize its business structure, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Here are four recent contract agreements or conflicts between payers and providers:

CMS is proposing coverage changes for certain blood-derived products and treatments. 

A Florida man filed a class-action lawsuit against Aetna Life Insurance Co., claiming it systematically denied coverage for a cancer treatment called proton beam radiation therapy, according to court documents.

Oscar Health is taking its first steps to officially file for an initial public offering, the insurer said Dec. 21.

Vitality Health Plan of California, which offers Medicare Advantage plans, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Dec. 18. 

Another seven healthcare organizations agreed to share financial risk with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan under a value-based payment initiative called the "Blueprint for Affordability," the insurer said Dec. 9.

Health systems that own a health plan were able to cushion the financial blow of the COVID-19 pandemic better than others, according to a report from PwC's Health Research Institute.

Sandhya Rao, MD, is the new CMO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the insurer said Dec. 17. 

Improved health outcomes for Intermountain Healthcare patients with Medicare coverage through UnitedHealthcare is the goal of a new ACO launched by the organizations.

A contract between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Houston-based CHI St. Luke's Health is set to expire Dec. 16 without a new agreement. The contract termination will affect about 65,000 BCBS of Texas members, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The following payer executives changed their positions in December so far.

Centene signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pantherx, a Pittsburgh-based pharmacy specializing in drugs to treat rare diseases, the insurer said Dec. 15. 

Centene is pausing expansion of its campus in Clayton, Mo., because of high crime rates, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is partnering with a provider group that is opening six primary care centers in the state, the insurer said Dec. 14. 

Tufts Health Plan has to divest one of its subsidiaries so its merger with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care can move forward, according to the Department of Justice. UnitedHealth Group has already come through as the buyer.

Small and family-owned pharmacies are being left out of a Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina initiative to help members buy healthcare-related items, according to The News & Observer.