Healthcare Finance Staff

Hospitals and payers benefit from Medicaid expansion, according to an attorney who formerly directed the Medicaid program for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

With the final January 31 deadline for open enrollment looming, close to 9 million consumers have signed up for healthcare coverage through the marketplace, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Deficiencies found in an audit of Cigna-HealthSpring operations has prompted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to temporarily bar Cigna from enrolling new customers to its Medicare Advantage and stand-alone prescription drug plans, and from marketing efforts, according to CMS.

Unlike insurance sold to individuals and small businesses through online marketplaces, large employers are not required to offer a list of "essential health benefits." 

Health insurer Centene Corp. on Monday said it has lost six hard drives containing the health information of about 950,000 beneficiaries.

Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller was the latest state official to propose protections for healthcare consumers against surprise balance bills, when she announced new measures on Tuesday.

Thirty-five percent more people than last year have enrolled for their employer-sponsored healthcare benefits on private online marketplaces, according to a new report from global consulting and technology firm Accenture.

Driven by a $720 million loss on its individual exchange product, UnitedHealth Group on Tuesday reported a $6.8 billion profit in 2015, down $238 million over its 2014 profit.

As the third open enrollment period winds down on the health insurance marketplaces, one thing hasn't changed much since the online exchanges opened: It's still often hard to find out whether a plan covers abortion services.

Even with subsidies to make coverage more affordable, many people who buy health insurance on the marketplaces spend more than 10 percent of their income on premiums, deductibles and other out-of-pocket payments, a recent study found. Among those hit hardest, the researchers said, are people who spend nearly a quarter of their income on health care expenses.