Sutter Health Created ‘Aligned Broker Strategy’ to Boost MA Enrollment
Nonprofit health system Sutter Health during the last Medicare Annual Election Period launched several Medicare Advantage products with Orange, Calif.-based MA startup Alignment Healthcare, which as of June had enro...
News Briefs
✦ In addition to offering premium discounts and/or rebates to commercial enrollees as a result of higher earnings during the COVID-19 pandemic, several Blues plans at press time unveiled premium-relief actions fo...
Pricey Drugs and Discounts Cause Part D Costs to Shift to Medicare
In addition to unveiling details on its proposal to overhaul the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program (RMA 6/18/20, p. 3), the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) in its June report to Congress recomme...
MO Voters Pass Medicaid Expansion; Will Other States Follow?
Missouri voters on Aug. 4 approved a constitutional amendment to expand Medicaid coverage, reflecting a trend of ballot-driven expansion initiatives in recent years that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic...
With Work Requirement Pending, Nebraska Medicaid Expansion Rolls On
Nearly two years after Nebraska voters approved a measure to expand Medicaid, the state on Aug. 1 began the process of enrolling eligible adults for coverage effective Oct. 1. Approximately 90,000 Nebraskans will be...
Dropping Part D Bids May Mean Plan Underpayment in 2021
In its annual release of Medicare Part D payment benchmarks and other bid-related information for the coming plan year, CMS on July 29 reported that the average monthly premium for basic Part D coverage will increas...
Post 2Q, Medicaid MCOs Proceed With Caution
Earnings posted by publicly traded insurers for the second quarter of 2020 reflect the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that began in March, with low medical loss ratios (MLRs) driven by depressed utilizati...
News Briefs
✦ The Dept. of Justice (DOJ) on Aug. 4 filed a complaint-in-intervention in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging that Cigna Corp. and its affiliates submitted false and fraudule...
Uncertainties Abound as MAOs Prep for 2020 Program Audits
After providing a break to Medicare Advantage and Part D plans dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic by suspending audit and quality reporting activities, CMS appears to be hitting the restart button on 2020 program au...
Election, Pandemic Will Flip the Script on AEP Sales Tactics
Given the likelihood of continued social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, health plans and brokers selling Medicare Advantage plans this fall will rely heavily on call center and online enrollment, t...