The following payers made headlines this past week, beginning with the most recent.
1. Molina Healthcare loses $91M in Q4, mulls ACA exchange exit
Long Beach, Calif.-based Molina Healthcare reported a net loss of $91 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to the $30 million profit the payer made during the same period last year. Officials said the loss was due to continued poor performance in its ACA marketplace business.
2. Judge temporarily stalls Cigna from terminating merger with Anthem
A Delaware Chancery Court judge ruled in favor of Indianapolis-based Anthem and momentarily banned Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna from motioning to end the $54 billion merger agreement between the two payers.
3. Capital BlueCross hires VP of corporate responsibility
Harrisburg, Pa.-based Capital BlueCross named Susan Hubley vice president of corporate social responsibility.
4. Aetna CEO: There will be markets with no coverage in 2018
Speaking at a Wall Street Journal conference, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said ACA exchanges are "in a death spiral."
5. UnitedHealth Group shareholder worth $3B dies
Brazil's richest healthcare billionaire and UnitedHealth Group's largest individual shareholder worth $3.1 billion died Tuesday at the age of 73.
6. Humana to exit ACA exchanges for 2018
Louisville, Ky.-based Humana will no longer provide individual products through the ACA exchanges, effective Jan. 1, 2018. The insurer cited an unbalanced risk pool as the reason for its departure.
7. BCBS of North Carolina CEO retires
Durham, N.C.-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina President and CEO Brad Wilson will retire later this year.
8. Aetna and Humana scrap merger, Aetna to pay $1B breakup fee
Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna and Louisville, Ky.-based Humana mutually terminated their $37 billion merger agreement following a U.S. District Court's decision to block the proposed deal over antitrust concerns.
9. Judge: Feds owe Moda Health $214M in risk corridors payments
A U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled the government must pay Portland, Ore.-based health insurer Moda Health $214 million under the ACA's risk corridors program.
10. UnitedHealth expects $4B loss in premium revenues from ACA exchange withdrawal
Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth Group anticipates it will cover roughly 1 million fewer consumers through individual insurance plans this year due to its widespread ACA exchange withdrawal — resulting in a $4 billion loss in premium revenues.