California will cover doula services for low-income residents at more than twice the state's initial proposed rate under a spending plan lawmakers passed last week. Some advocates welcomed the new benefit in Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid health insurance program, as a step toward professionalizing this group of nonmedical birth workers.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine and Scarborough-based Coastal Women's Healthcare announced Tuesday that they've reached an agreement on a contract. Coastal Women's announced last month that it planned to terminate its contract with Anthem in August because the insurance company wasn't reimbursing the practice at the same rates it offers similar providers.
Minnesota's biggest health plans in the market where individuals buy coverage are seeking premium increases for next year — though less dramatic than what they sought for 2022. The Minnesota Department of Commerce released the rate proposals on Friday.
Tuesday's opinion in Marietta Memorial Hospital Employee Health Benefit Plan v. DaVita Inc. laid out a roadmap for private insurers to shift the costs of end-stage renal disease to Medicare.
Often called the father of the health maintenance organization, he coined the term in 1970, envisioning a system that would compete for patients by providing the best care at the lowest price.
Federal subsidies passed as part of a temporary pandemic relief package have drastically cut healthcare premiums. Those federal subsidies will expire at the end of this year if Congress does not extend the program.
