COVID Impact, Rate Hikes in Exchanges Could Be Modest
Now that actuaries have more information about how COVID-19 affects health care spending, individual market insurers are more likely to include adjustments in their 2022 rates to account for the pandemic, concludes ...
Facing Low Supplier Interest, CMS Floats MDPP Changes
Hoping to boost enrollment in the struggling Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) expanded model, CMS has proposed changes that would increase reimbursement and significantly shorten the services period for p...
Public Coverage Gains Offset Losses of Employer-Sponsored Insurance During Pandemic
Unlike during previous recessions, the national uninsured rate held steady at 11% during the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic fallout, according to a recent analysis by the Urban Institute and Robert Woo...
News Briefs
✦ The Biden administration will send $452 million in ARPA funding “to support 13 states’ efforts to improve access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance coverage through section 1332 state-based reinsu...
Puerto Rico Deals Offer Diversification to GuideWell, Anthem
Puerto Rico recently has become a hotbed of merger and acquisition activity, with two of the territory’s largest health insurers agreeing to be sold to mainland-based companies. Industry analysts say that the deal...
Medicaid MCOs Try Outreach, Cash to Move Needle on Vaccines
As the COVID-19 pandemic has entered a grim new phase thanks to the virulent Delta variant, the need to vaccinate everyone eligible has become even more urgent. State public health data and polls indicate that Medic...
CareFirst, Highmark Roll Out Union-Focused Insurance
Two sizeable regional Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, CareFirst of Maryland, Inc. and Highmark Inc., are teaming up to offer a “new collaboration and health insurance offering” for labor unions. While it’s certa...
Cigna Broadens ACA Marketplace Presence in 2022
Cigna Corp. will increase its Affordable Care Act exchange offerings in 2022 by 93 new counties across 10 states that it already served and adding three new states — Georgia, Pennsylvania and Mississippi — the i...
Expanded Navigator Funds Could Help Boost Enrollment
The Biden administration has awarded $80 million in grants to 60 organizations to hire more than 1,500 health exchange Navigators, according to HHS. One expert predicts the move will help boost overall enrollment in...