News Briefs
✦ Health Care Service Corp. (HCSC) on May 5 named Maurice Smith its new president and CEO, effective June 1. Smith, HCSC’s current president, will replace David Lesar, who has served as interim CEO since Paula Steiner left her post last July. Steiner’s departure was followed by the exit of Chief Financial Officer Eric Feldstein, leading some analysts to speculate that the parent company of several Blue Cross Blue Shield plans was mapping out a new strategic course (HPW 8/5/19, p. 6). Smith has worked at HCSC since joining the organization 27 years ago as an intern, according to a press release. Read more at https://bit.ly/2xGUwoS.
✦ Because it’s seeing savings from members being unable to access planned or routine care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UnitedHealthcare is providing $1.5 billion worth of “initial assistance,” including premium credits, to its customers. The insurer will give its commercial fully insured individual and employer customers credits ranging from 5% to 20%, applied to premium billings in June, and it will waive all specialist and primary physician cost sharing through the end of September for its Medicare Advantage customers, among other measures. Visit https://bit.ly/2yBlej7 to learn more.
