Public Health

HHS reported more than 11.5 million individuals signed up for health plans through the federal marketplace from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24, marking an increase of 286,000 plan selections from the same period last year.

Minnesota's health insurance exchange MNsure saw 103,578 individuals sign up for private health insurance since open enrollment began Nov. 1, marking the first time the exchange had more than 100,000 residents sign up for health plans through the exchange.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) formally initiated efforts to institute Medicaid expansion in the state by sending a letter to federal regulators informing them of his pursuit, reports WRAL.

Tens of thousands of people a year visit an emergency room or are admitted to a hospital in Maryland for opioid overdose, withdrawal or complications, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Lawmakers in Minnesota aim to fast track a bill proposing health insurance premium relief for individuals purchasing health plans through the state's health insurance exchange, MPR News reports.

The following health insurers made headlines this week. They are listed below, beginning with the most recent.

CVS Pharmacy is not included in the new network of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama and its pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics, WSFA reports.

Chicago-based Blue Cross Blue Shield Association contracted with Exact Sciences Corp. in Madison, Wis., to cover Cologuard — a cancer screening — as an in-network service for its policyholders.

The number of Americans who enrolled in health plans via HealthCare.gov since Nov. 1 is up about 2 percent from the same time last year, from 8.6 million to 8.8 million. 

Winfield, Ill.-based Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital earned support to operate a mobile stroke unit, making it the first hospital in Illinois to receive state approval.