Faced with hundreds of millions of dollars in tax increases from the state, New York health plans are hunkering down for a lean 2009. Four of the 10 major carriers in the state posted net losses in 20…
In what may be a coming trend among large-scale employers with self-managed pharmacy plans, General Mills has hired its own in-house pharmacists to do medication management with targeted employees….
Georgia is a testing ground for new product designs for group and individual buyers. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia has introduced new products geared to those who want coverage for essentials,…
Health insurers in Oregon and Washington are paying special attention to pricing in 2009 in order to maintain their customer base, but are also casting a wary eye to any blip in medical costs as the i…
Texas' Medicaid program is on the verge of considerable change with the potential for expansion of managed care into both adult and children's programs. At the same time, the Texas Legislature…
The over-arching theme of the healthcare marketplace in New England continues to be the regionalization of the well-established plans like Harvard Pilgrim, Tufts, MVP and others across the New England…
Even as health plans struggle to retain members in a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, moves are under way to redesign health benefits both by the private and public sec…
The Illinois insurance market is poised to be hit by rising unemployment that is hitting the factory towns of Peoria, Rockford and Bradley-Kankakee. These markets are typically led by Blue Cross Blue…
Humana Inc. is making a splash in both Ohio and Kentucky with provider relations issues. In Louisville, the insurer's introduction of a narrow network of providers for the Ford Motor Co. has raise…
Iowa lawmakers are considering major mandates for state-regulated health plans, including requirements that health plans cover autism, prosthetics, osteoporosis, and cancer treatment in approved clini…
With the economic downturn pushing more Minnesotans out of work, health plans are getting ready for a likely surge in people seeking individual health plans, but are also watching to see if the new fe…
Tennessee's unemployment rate grew to 8.6 percent in January, and the number of mass layoffs in Tennessee more than doubled in the 2008 fourth quarter compared to a year ago. Things can still get…
Against a backdrop of rising unemployment and businesses trying to cut healthcare costs, health plans in Pennsylvania are increasing their offerings of individual products and fielding group plans wit…
The recession is making a big impact on health plans in the Carolinas-commercial plans predict enrollment will drop in the coming months and Medicaid rolls already are increasing. Employers are changi…