Walmart is launching an insurance agency to sell Medicare products, according to job postings on Walmart's Careers website. 

Here are 14 acquisitions, partnerships, affiliations and mergers involving health plans this year, beginning with the most recent:

For now, many commercial health insurers are well-positioned to withstand new pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic. But the economic downturn still poses threats and will bring changes to the business, according to a report from the Urban Institute.

Molina Healthcare completed its acquisition of some assets of YourCare Health Plan, the insurer said July 1. 

Centene Corp. is opening a second headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., that will bring 6,000 jobs to the area, the insurer said July 1.

Health insurance startup Bright Health outlined its 2021 expansion plans June 30, which include selling products in six new markets. 

Oklahoma voters approved a state question to expand Medicaid to more low-income residents, according to The Oklahoman.

A subsidiary of Centene Corp. is going to acquire the membership of NextLevel Health Partners, an Illinois Medicaid plan, the insurers said June 30.

The following payer executives changed their positions in June.

Oscar closed $225 million in its latest funding round, the health insurance startup said June 26, with existing investors like Alphabet and General Catalyst participating.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the strengths of Canada's health system, former Cigna executive Wendell Potter said in an interview with NPR.

More Americans who have lost their jobs are signing up for health insurance through the ACA individual marketplace, according to June 2020 data released by CMS.

Health insurers aren't required to cover COVID-19 tests that are a part of workplace safety or surveillance programs, according to an updated CMS factsheet.

An investigation from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce found about 3 million Americans had short-term health plans last year, representing a 27 percent increase from 2018.

Black cancer survivors who have high-deductible health plans face significantly greater cost barriers to care, according to recent study in JAMA Network Open.

Dan McCoy, MD, is no longer the president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, according to D Magazine.

Primary care practices in North Carolina may be eligible for increased financial support from the state's Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan as the insurer rolls out a new program aimed at helping the offices weather the financial crisis spurred by the pandemic.

Oscar and Cigna are debuting their cobranded small business health plans in three states, the health insurers said June 23.

Two out of 5 people whose partner lost their job or who became jobless themselves because of the pandemic said their health coverage was tied to the affected job, according to a study from The Commonwealth Fund.

Medicare Advantage members with CVS Health-owned Aetna can now access providers of DuPage Medical Group in Downers Grove, Ill., under a new agreement.