Revenue Cycle and Payer News 11-19-2019

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Posted By: Annmarie Budniak November 19, 2019

 To Read:

An Overview of Healthcare Insurance
Healthcare insurance applies to everyone so it’s important to have a basic understanding. Knowing proper insurance terminology is beneficial so you can properly communicate with your provider. United Systems and Software, Inc. provides an infographic full of healthcare insurance facts and tips.

America’s Largest Health Insurer Is Giving Apartments to Homeless People
Bloomberg Businessweek reports that Jeffrey Brenner, an executive at UnitedHealth Group Inc. (@UnitedHealthGrp), America’s largest health insurer is using UnitedHealth’s money to pay for housing and support services for roughly 60 formerly homeless recipients of Medicaid, the safety-net insurance program for low-income people. Brenner is doing so to help both UnitedHealth and its Medicaid recipients.

In the News:

Amazon and JPMorgan to roll out new health insurance plans as part of Haven joint venture
GeekWire reports that Haven Healthcare, a joint venture between Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway, created its first offering in the form of health insurance plans for tens of thousands of employees.

Health Care Administrators Association (HCAA) Announces Speaker Lineup for 2020 Executive Forum
The Health Care Administrators Association (@hcaainfo), a leader in education, networking, resources and advocacy for the self-funding industry, announced the speaker lineup for its 2020 Executive Forum to be held February 24-26, 2020 at The Wynn in Las Vegas. The premier event will gather third party and benefit administrator executive leadership for a series of high-level discussions, focused on the current and future state of the continuously evolving self-funding arena.

HCCI and Blue Health Intelligence® Announce Major New Data Sharing Partnership
The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) and Blue Health Intelligence® (BHI®) announced a multi-year data partnership, significantly expanding HCCI’s data resources and bolstering its ability to provide research insights to aid employers, government officials and the public in finding solutions to address health care costs.

New Aetna Medicare programs help combat social isolation, improve health outcomes
Medical research shows that loneliness and social isolation are associated with negative health behaviors and a wide range of illnesses. To address this issue, Aetna, a CVS Health company (@cvshealth), has developed a Social Isolation Index to estimate each member’s risk of social isolation.

Financial News:

Cigna’s Continued Momentum Drives Strong Third Quarter 2019 Results and Increased Revenue and Earnings Outlook
Global health service company Cigna Corporation (@cigna) reported strong third quarter 2019 results led by the Health Services and Integrated Medical segments.

White House Unveils Finalized Health Care Price Transparency Rule
Kaiser Health News (@KHNews) reports that hospitals will soon have to share price information they have long kept obscured — including how big a discount they offer cash-paying patients and rates negotiated with insurers — under a rule finalized Friday by the Trump administration.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Statement on the Administration’s Health Care Cost Transparency Rules
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (@BCBSAssociation) President and CEO Scott Serota issued the following statement regarding the administration’s rules on health care cost transparency.

Appointments:

Kimberly Ross Appointed to Cigna Board of Directors
Cigna Corporation announced that Kimberly A. Ross has been appointed to Cigna’s Board of Directors. Her appointment is effective June 1, 2020.

Making the Cut:

Anthem Inc. Named One of America’s Most JUST Companies by Forbes and JUST Capital
Anthem Inc. (@AnthemInc) was named one of America’s Most JUST Companies for 2020, according to Forbes and JUST Capital, one of the leading corporate measurement platforms for the multi-stakeholder economy. Anthem ranked seventh on the list, and was the highest-ranked company in the health care providers category.

Humana Is No. 1 in Customer Service Among Health Insurance Companies, as Ranked by Newsweek
For the second year in a row, Humana Inc. (@humana) rose to the top as No. 1 in service in its industry, according to Newsweek’s 2020 list of America’s Best Customer Service.

Upcoming Events

HCAA’s Executive Forum 2020
When: February 24 – 26, 2020
Where: Wynn, Las Vegas
Twitter: @HCAAinfo
Hashtag: #HCAAExecForum

HCAA’s Executive Forum 2020 – HCAA’s Executive Forum is held every February. This annual conference for the self-funding industry, held in Las Vegas, offers a program covering strategic ideas focused toward third party and benefit administrator executive leadership. The conference, attended each year by over 400 industry leaders, provides critical points of view, often disruptive, which are meant to challenge and to provoke thought, while providing education for all attendees.