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Mississippi could be the next state to expand Medicaid, according to a Sept. 12 report in Mississippi Today. Representative Jason White (R), who will likely become Speaker of the House for the 2024 legislative session, told the outlet that Medicaid expansion “will be on the table,” despite Gov. Tate Reeves’ (R) strong opposition. “I think we as Republicans have probably earned a little bit of the bad rap we get on health care in Mississippi,” White continued. “Part of that is that we haven’t had a full-blown airing or discussion of Medicaid expansion. We’ve just said, ‘No.’” The state currently serves 849,912 Medicaid beneficiaries, with 51.4% enrolled in managed care plans.

The state of Texas recently unveiled contract awards to seven payers for its STAR+PLUS Medicaid program, which serves older adults with disabilities. Incumbents UnitedHealthcare, Molina Healthcare, Elevance Health’s Amerigroup and Centene subsidiary Superior HealthPlan will continue to serve the program, to be joined by new entrants Community First Health Plans, El Paso Health and Community Health Choice Texas. The STAR+PLUS program currently serves 577,219 members, about 11% of the state’s managed Medicaid population.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan on Sept. 7 said it will be cutting about 20% of its current prior authorization requirements, joining UnitedHealthcare and Cigna Healthcare, which have both made similar moves in recent weeks. “As part of our commitment to promoting optimal health and affordability of care for members and employers, we're moving forward with changes to further improve the experience for both our members and clinical colleagues,” James D. Grant, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer at BCBS Michigan, said in a statement. The Blues affiliate is the largest insurer in its home state, serving 4,116,721 members, about 40% of Michigan’s insured population.

The Cigna Group is launching a new health plan targeted at “globally mobile” seniors. The Cigna Healthcare Global Plan for Seniors includes coverage for hospital stays, inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment, cancer testing, treatment and rehabilitation, lifestyle support tools like weight management coaches, and 20 face-to-face counseling sessions. Members can also opt for medical and pharmacy care for hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, glaucoma, arthritis, joint or back pain, and osteoporosis/osteopenia. Cigna noted that there’s growing consumer demand for international health coverage, citing new research from its health insurance segment forecasts that the market “is expected to reach 450,000 people by 2025.” Cigna is currently the eighth-largest Medicare Advantage insurer in the U.S., with 587,125 members.

Elevance Health’s Anthem subsidiaries in Virginia and Connecticut will begin offering virtual first health plans to large employer groups (both full risk and self-funded) in 2024. Virtual first plans prioritize telehealth, offering $0 copays for virtual primary care and mental health visits via a digital health platform, which Anthem says offers “seamless” interoperability and data sharing between providers. Anthem also offers virtual first plans in California and Georgia. Elevance is currently the largest insurer in Virginia, with 498,749 members enrolled in full-risk large group plans, and 1,132,017 enrolled in self-funded plans. It also leads the Connecticut market, with 84,579 large group members and 715,749 self-funded.

Molina Healthcare, Inc. on Sept. 1 closed its acquisition of My Choice Wisconsin, a Medicaid-focused insurer based in Milwaukee County. The $150 million deal will grow Molina’s Wisconsin Medicaid membership by 37.7%, to 104,199 lives. Molina is currently the fourth-largest Medicaid insurer in the U.S., with 4,536,782 members.

As the nationwide Adderall shortage continues, the FDA last week approved the first generic versions of Takeda's blockbuster ADHD drug Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate). Manufacturers of the newly approved generics include Actavis, Mylan, Sun Pharmaceutical and Teva. For the treatment of ADHD, Vyvanse holds covered or better status for 88% of all insured lives under the pharmacy benefit. About 43% of lives have preferred access to Vyvanse without utilization management restrictions.

Cigna Healthcare is exiting the Affordable Care Act exchange marketplace in Kansas and Missouri, according to an Aug. 28 press release. The insurer is planning an expansion in just one state, North Carolina, where exchange products will be available in 15 new counties across the greater Charlotte and Winston-Salem areas. Overall, Cigna will offer exchange plans in 350 counties across 14 states for 2024. Cigna is currently the sixth-largest exchange insurer nationally, with 776,429 members.

Elevance Health’s $2.5 billion acquisition of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is facing some hiccups, according to an Aug. 22 article from the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The Louisiana Blues affiliate must reissue ballots to 92,000 policyholders that will allow them to approve or reject the sale and invalidate proxy ballots that it’s already received. The insurer will also reschedule a meeting and official vote until after the state’s Dept. of Insurance has held a two-day hearing on the proposed sale. State officials have been critical of the deal, and the Times-Picayune also reported that attorneys in the state Dept. of Insurance “fully expect litigation” over the deal. Elevance stands to grow its total medical enrollment by more than 1 million lives with the acquisition, expanding its Louisiana market from 301,704 members to 1.37 million members.

Humana Inc. and kidney care management company Interwell Health will partner on a new value-based care agreement for Humana Medicare Advantage members in 13 states, per an Aug. 23 press release from the insurer. Most Humana MA members with chronic kidney disease and end-state kidney disease in these states will have access to Interwell’s comprehensive kidney care program, which includes a network of more than 1,700 nephrologists and “in-home virtual support from dietitians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, and care coordinators.” Humana currently serves 5,755,162 MA members, with about 36% residing in one of the target states.