Collaboration News:
Indiana Fever and Anthem, Inc. Team Up for Multi-Year Partnership Focused on Sports, Leadership, and Social Justice
The Indiana Fever and Anthem, Inc. (@AnthemInc) announced a multi-year partnership aimed at addressing social injustice, promoting health and well-being in under-resourced communities, and empowering athletes to become advocates for change. The partnership with the Fever is one of four WNBA franchise partnerships launched by Anthem, with New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta rounding out the list.
Humana and the University of Houston Announce New Value-based Care Specialization Program
Humana (@Humana) and the University of Houston announced the launch of a Value-based Care Specializationopens new window online program to support providers, academia and other business and industry professionals and the public in learning about the fundamentals and real-world application of value-based care that has become integral to improving outcomes in health care.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies Join National Commitment to Protect Employees and Communities from COVID-19
Blue Cross and Blue Shield (@BCBSAssociation) companies joined the Rally for Recovery Commitment to protect employees, encourage COVID-19 vaccinations and educate staff and local communities on ways to mitigate the spread of the virus. The pledge was launched by the federal government and business leaders to encourage companies to take action to defeat the coronavirus.
Product News:
Humana Introduces CenterWell as the New Brand for a Range of Its Payer-Agnostic Health Care Services Offerings
Humana Inc. announced a new brand – CenterWell – to describe and connect a range of the company’s payer-agnostic health care services offerings. The first Humana-owned care services to adopt the new brand will be its senior-focused primary care facilities that have operated as “Partners in Primary Care” in several states and as “Family Physicians Group” in the Orlando area.
Financial News:
CVS Health Corporation announces quarterly dividend
CVS Health Corporation (@cvshealth) announced that its board of directors has approved a quarterly dividend of $0.50 (50 cents) per share on the corporation’s common stock. The dividend is payable on May 3, 2021, to holders of record on April 23, 2021.
Cigna Foundation Launches New Health and Well-Being Grant Program to Improve Access to Care and Eliminate Health Disparities
The Cigna Foundation (@cigna) announced an open call for applications for its new Health and Well-Being grant program, part of an ongoing initiative to improve access to care and eliminate health disparities.
Oscar Health, Inc. Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering
Oscar Health, Inc. (@OscarHealth) announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 37,041,026 shares of its Class A common stock at a price to the public of $39.00 per share. Of the offered shares, 36,391,946 shares are being offered by Oscar and 649,080 shares are being offered by certain of Oscar’s existing selling stockholders.
To Read:
Health insurance costs for millions set to drop under final Covid-relief bill by CNBC – Private health insurance through the nation’s public exchanges is set to become more affordable — at least for a couple of years. The $1.9 trillion Covid relief package includes provisions that will reduce the cost of health insurance amid the ongoing pandemic and elevated unemployment.
Reports:
Impact of Policy Options for Reducing Hospital Prices Paid by Private Health Plans by Rand Corporation (@RANDCorporation) – The authors consider three policy options—regulating hospital prices, improving price transparency, and increasing competition among hospitals—with various design choices and effectiveness levels for each approach. They estimate that price regulation could have the largest impact on hospital prices and spending but would likely face political challenges, while improving price transparency and competition could help reduce prices—but to a lesser extent than price regulation.
State of Coronavirus and Insurance Report: Part III by Insurance Quotes (@insuranceQts) – The COVID-19 pandemic posed numerous challenges to insurers and policyholders. From events cancelation and travel insurance confusion to challenges underwriting and pricing new policies, the pandemic threw obstacles in the way of insurers that are only now beginning to be cleared. This report will aim to detail some of the ways things are returning to normal as well as many challenges that still stand in the way.
NEW SURVEY: Employer-Provided Health Coverage Is Delivering Real Value for Consumers During the Pandemic by AHIP (@ahipcoverage) – With more than half of Americans receiving their health care through an employer, a new study of American employees finds that 71% believe their employer-provided health care coverage is easy to use, and 76% say it would protect them from the majority of their medical costs in an emergency.
Making the Cut:
Best insurance companies for 2021
Find out the five top-rated health insurance companies for 2021 based on Insure.com’s customer satisfaction survey.