Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota held strong against criticism over its new policies that end reimbursement for routine colonoscopies and other services under certain circumstances, according to the Star Tribune.

Each time a patient enters the emergency department with a condition that can be treated in a primary care setting, it comes at an average cost of $2,032 to the healthcare system, according to an analysis published by UnitedHealth Group.

UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, reversed its denials of a $2.1 million gene therapy for children, according to The Washington Post.

Anthem will roll out a new app this month that will give members and nonmembers the ability to schedule and pay for medical care through their smartphones, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Here are 10 recent articles posted by Becker's Hospital Review that concern payer-provider relationships:

Oscar will offer Medicare Advantage plans in New York and Houston this fall, pending regulatory approval, the health insurance startup's CEO and co-founder, Mario Schlosser, wrote in a blog post. 

Humana added providers to its bundled payment models for spinal fusion surgeries and hip or knee joint replacements, the insurer said July 17.

The Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department on July 17 expanded what is considered preventive care under high-deductible health plans to include more services and treatments for people with chronic illnesses.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' global budget payments were associated with lower spending and higher quality of care, according to a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. 

UnitedHealth Group saw its revenue and net income increase in the second quarter of 2019, buoyed by growth in its Medicare and Optum lines.

The health insurance status of children is linked to whether they are admitted or transferred to a hospital after presenting to the emergency department with a mental health disorder, according to a study published in Pediatric Emergency Care.

The owner of a toxicology lab in Kentucky pleaded guilty for his role in a conspiracy that defrauded health insurers of more than $1.3 million, according to the Department of Justice.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield will pay a fine and refund $1.3 million to disabled Colorado members after overcharging them for supplemental Medicare policies, the Colorado Division of Insurance ordered July 3.

CDPHP, a health insurer in New York, opened a branch inside Ellis Medicine in Schenectady, N.Y., to connect patients directly with insurance staff if they have questions during treatment and post-discharge, according to the Albany Business Review.

Humana's share price jumped after the Trump administration rolled out new initiatives on kidney care, according to Louisville Business First.

A two-person family paid, on average, $1,000 in monthly premiums for unsubsidized individual health insurance in 2019, according to a survey from online health insurance exchange eHealth.

Washington insurer First Choice Health is offering up its prescription opioid use data to employers in the Seattle area free of charge, the insurer said July 11. 

America's Health Insurance Plan's CEO spoke about how the industry trade group is pushing for more incremental changes rather than a "Medicare for All" policy that would eliminate private insurers in an interview with The Hill.

CMS released multiple resources for states seeking to bypass some aspects of the ACA via 1332 waivers.

CMS has issued a new proposal to cover acupuncture for Medicare patients with chronic low back pain in clinical trials supported by the National Institutes of Health or CMS-approved studies.