Collaboration News:
ArmadaHealth and Healthcare Strategies Join Forces to Provide Best-In-Class Healthcare Cost Reduction Solutions
ArmadaHealth (@armadahealth), a provider of physician recommendation intelligence and Healthcare Strategies, a company managing employer self-funded healthcare risk, are pleased to announce their new partnership, combining ArmadaHealth’s AI-enabled patient/physician matching solution, QualityCare Navigator, with Healthcare Strategies’ risk management solutions featuring their HealthReach Population Risk Management program.
UnitedHealthcare and Canopy Health Introduce Health Plan Delivering Lower Costs and a Patient-Focused Health Care Experience
UnitedHealthcare (@UnitedHealthGrp) and Canopy Health have introduced a new health plan that offers consumers in Northern California personalized and seamless customer support as well as the opportunity to save up to 25% on premiums.
Financial News:
Centene Announces Expansion for 2021 Health Insurance Marketplace
Centene Corporation (@Centene) announced that it plans to expand its offering in the 2021 Health Insurance Marketplace. The company is targeting expansion of its Marketplace product, branded Ambetter, in nearly 400 new counties across 13 existing states. In addition, Ambetter-branded Marketplace products will be offered in two new states, New Mexico and Michigan. This brings the total number of states with Centene’s Marketplace offerings to 22.
Centene Corporation Becomes First Payer to Join AVIA’s Medicaid Transformation Project
AVIA (@HealthAVIA) announced that Centene Corporation (@Centene), the largest Medicaid managed care organization in the country, is the newest Member and first independent health plan to join AVIA’s Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP). Led by AVIA and Andy Slavitt, former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, MTP works to advance the health of vulnerable communities while reducing the total cost of care.
Health Insurer Pays $6.85 Million to Settle Data Breach Affecting Over 10.4 Million People
Premera Blue Cross (@premera) has agreed to pay $6.85 million to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and to implement a corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules related to a breach affecting over 10.4 million people. This resolution represents the second-largest payment to resolve a HIPAA investigation in OCR history. PBC operates in Washington and Alaska, and is the largest health plan in the Pacific Northwest, serving more than two million people.
Product News:
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Extends COVID-19 Member Benefits Through 2020, Encourages Vaccinations
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (@carefirst) announced it will be extending benefits for fully insured members put in place during the public health emergency to ensure the health and safety of the members and communities it serves. The benefits, which include the patient cost share waivers for the testing and treatment of COVID-19, were set to expire September 30, 2020 and will now be extended through December 31, 2020.
Cigna Launches Evernorth To Accelerate Delivery Of Innovative And Flexible Health Service Solutions
Cigna Corporation (@cigna) announces the launch of Evernorth, a new brand for its growing, high-performing health services portfolio. Evernorth will accelerate delivery of innovative and flexible solutions to meet the diverse needs of health plans, employers, and government organizations.
Humana Announces Launch of Two National Value-Based Programs
Health and well-being company Humana Inc. (@Humana) announced an expansion of its value-based program portfolio with the creation of two national programs for members of select Humana Medicare Advantage plans, Humana’s Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) Episode-Based Model.
To Read:
How COVID-19 is affecting long-term care insurance by Insure – State stay-at-home orders and unknowns about the long-term health effects of COVID-19 have made it more complicated for insurers to assess applicants and price the policies. Many temporarily restricted who could apply for coverage and added more steps to the application process. People who have tested positive for the virus may still be able to get coverage, but they have to jump through more hoops first. Even healthy people may end up paying more.
insuranceQuotes.com Releases ‘FALL 2020 INSURANCE PREVIEW: Back to School, Election, Flu Season, and Hurricane Season’ Report – by insuranceQuotes.com (@insuranceQts) Fall is the season of change, and this year more than ever consumers should be prepared for changes to their insurance. InsuranceQuotes.com’s newly released report, “Fall 2020 Insurance Preview: Back to School, Election, Flu Season, and Hurricane Season,” projects how insurance this autumn may be impacted by annual occasions and events, the weather and the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
U.S. News and Aetna Foundation release 2020 Healthiest Communities rankings from CVS Health (@cvshealth) – U.S. News & World Report, in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, an independent, charitable and philanthropic affiliate of CVS Health, today released the third annual Healthiest Communities rankings. This year, the rankings are accompanied by new tools tracking COVID-19 data, as well as in-depth editorial analysis on relationships between COVID-19 and the social determinants of health in populations at the local level, especially in underserved communities across America.
Anthem Announces Solar Power Purchase Agreement to Move Company Closer Towards 100 Percent Renewable Energy Goal from Anthem (@AnthemInc) – In 2019, Anthem, Inc. made the commitment to invest in and source 100 percent renewable energy by 2025. As a key step in that strategy, Anthem has announced it has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement with SunEnergy1, a top U.S. solar developer, owner and operator of utility-scale solar projects. The agreement is for the output from a new 182-acre (20-megawatt) solar field located in Hanover County, Virginia.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Study Finds Unpaid Caregivers At Risk of 26% Health Decline from BCBS (@BCBSAssociation) – New findings from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s (BCBSA) industry-first study on the health of caregivers finds that caregivers had 26% poorer health, as measured by the BCBS Health Index, compared to the benchmark population due to the stress and pressure of the caregiver role
Making the Cut:
Independence Blue Cross named Best Employer by Forbes and Top Workplace by The Philadelphia Inquirer
Independence Blue Cross (@ibx) has been recognized by two publications as one of the best large employers in the state and the region. Forbes named Independence to its list of America’s Best Employers by State 2020. Independence was among 100 recognized by the magazine. In addition, The Philadelphia Inquirer rated Independence as one of the region’s Top Workplaces in the Large Companies category for the second straight year.
COVID-19 News:
Aetna extends waivers for COVID-19-related care for Aetna members
Aetna, a CVS Health company, has extended cost-share waivers for its fully insured members as part of continued steps to help members access the care they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.