While monopolies often mean higher prices for consumers, this may not always be true for individuals who purchase health plans on the ACA's exchanges, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh.

Tufts Health Plan launched a program that will pay some of its 1.2 million members to find providers with the lowest cost and highest quality.

Lyft became the first national ride-sharing company to be an enrolled provider for millions of Medicaid beneficiaries in Arizona, the company said June 26.

While UPMC and Highmark ended their contentious dispute June 24 with a landmark 10-year contract, questions still remain about the details of the agreement, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Aetna expanded its home care network through a partnership with CareLinx, a national network with more than 300,000 nonclinical caregivers.

Here are five data breaches payers recently reported:

Shareholders approved Centene's pending $17 billion acquisition of WellCare Health Plans in separate votes June 24, the companies said.

Minneapolis-based North Memorial Health and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota signed a joint venture agreement to become shared owners of North Memorial's clinics.

Anthem's definitive agreement to acquire Boston-based Beacon Health Options aligns with the importance of behavioral healthcare and provides opportunities to improve patient care, an Anthem leader told Becker's.

For the fifth year in a row, members were more satisfied with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan than with other Medicare Advantage insurers, according to the J.D. Power 2019 Medicare Advantage Study.

Cigna opened an office in Nairobi, Kenya, that will serve as the company's headquarters for its African operations, according to Hapa Kenya.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge led by health insurers seeking billions in government payments related to the ACA insurance exchanges, according to Politico.

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare entered into a new multiyear agreement with CVS Health-owned Aetna, the companies said June 24.

Pittsburgh rivals UPMC and Highmark entered into an agreement that allows Highmark members to access UPMC hospitals and physicians at in-network prices for the next decade.

Passport Health Plan, a health insurance company controlled by healthcare providers in Louisville, Ky., has cut its staff by 29 ahead of plans to sell a majority stake to health plan administrator Evolent Health, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.

The nation's first Medicaid work requirement in Arkansas was associated with a significantly lower insured rate in the state but not an increase in employment, according to a study cited by Politico and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group for the health insurance industry, unveiled an initiative to address social determinants of health June 20.

Elevating public-private partnerships like Medicare Advantage and managed Medicaid is the best way to answer Americans' call to overhaul the healthcare system, according to Cigna CEO David Cordani.

The Federal Trade Commission approved UnitedHealth Group's $4.3 billion acquisition of Davita Medical Group, with the condition that UnitedHealth sell one of its newly purchased medical groups in Nevada.

The Institutional Shareholder Services, an influential shareholder adviser, gave Centene and WellCare Health Plans a vote of confidence on their $17 billion deal, according to Forbes contributor Bruce Japsen.