Cigna to expand ACA footprint to 3 new states, 93 new counties next year
The expansion, which is pending regulatory approval, means Cigna’s exchange footprint now spans 13 states, and puts some 1.5 million additional consumers within reach.
Intermountain giving pay raises, boosting minimum wage to $15 an hour
The last time the system raised its minimum wage across the board was in 2019, to $13 an hour, though earlier this year nurses did receive an off-cycle wage adjustment, according to a spokesperson.
Diabetes screening advised to start at age 35 for overweight, obese
While the screening recommendation could lead to more treatment, and therefore more costs to health insurers, catching the disease earlier may save money in the long run.
J&J, without details, makes case for a coronavirus booster shot
A second shot given six months after the first appears to provide a bigger immune response, the company said, a finding J&J aims to take to regulators in the U.S. and elsewhere.
UPS delivers COVID-19 vaccines via temperature-controlled drone
The first delivery will go from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in North Carolina to one of the health system’s family medical practices.
Florida Blue parent GuideWell to acquire Puerto Rico’s BCBS carrier
One aim of the deal is to provide a more competitive Medicare Advantage product in Florida and Puerto Rico, executives outlined in a letter to other Blue Cross Blue Shield CEOs.
Hospital volume recovery on shaky ground amid delta, Kaufman Hall reports
Outpatient revenues fell 2% in July from June while inpatient revenues grew as a portion of overall revenue, according to the survey.
Nevada awards Medicaid contracts to 4 insurers
It’s a big contract win for Molina, which will join three other incumbents in the state: UnitedHealthcare, Centene and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Medicaid, ACA policies for COVID-19 kept rate of uninsured steady, researchers find
The uninsured rate remained at 11% from March 2019 to April 2021, thanks to a freeze in Medicaid disenrollment and increased ACA subsidies, according to a report from the Urban Institute.
Unvaccinated COVID-19 hospitalizations costing US healthcare system billions, KFF says
Roughly 113,000 of the 185,000 inpatient stays with a COVID-19 diagnosis, or about 61%, could have been prevented by vaccination in June and July, researchers estimated.