While neither the Aetna-Humana nor Anthem-Cigna mergers have received U.S. Justice Department antitrust approval, Aetna and Humana have more readily passed various regulatory and antitrust obstacles than its Anthem-Cigna counterpart, according to CT Mirror.
Federal investigators arrested five individuals for paying kickbacks in an $86 million Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme, according to NY Post.
A new Urban Institute study found the United States is expected to spend $2.6 trillion less over the next six years on healthcare than past estimates suggested, according to The Hill.
Shelley Rouillard, director of the California Department of Managed Health Care, granted Aetna approval for its $35 billion Humana acquisition, according to Los Angeles Times.
Solicitor General Donald Verrilli commented the Affordable Care Act legal fights are finished, according to The Hill.
Payer reimbursement has become an increasingly complex issue for healthcare providers. Unfortunately, many spine and pain management ASCs may be letting significant revenue from insurers slip through the cracks.
Many U.S. antitrust regulators are concerned Anthem's $48 billion acquisition of Cigna will fail to maintain competition in the insurance industry, according to Wall Street Journal.
The White House is providing states $22 million to enhance their state-level "rate reviews" to fight health insurance companies on premium increases, according to The Hill.
The American Medical Association is changing the Quadruple Aim to include a fourth measure that accounts for physician work-life balance, according to Medscape.
Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of CMS, attended the American Medical Association 2016 Annual Meeting in Chicago to discuss goals to help improve the quality payment program, according to The CMS Blog.