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Centene's first-quarter Premium and Service Revenues up 12.5% to $1.022 billion

Centene Corporation today announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. The results of operations for our New Jersey health plan, University Health Plans, are classified as discontinued operations. The discussions below, with the exception of cash flow information, are in the context of continuing operations and all financial ratios exclude premium taxes.

27 Apr 2010

Avivia Health announces new portal with digital health coaching and interactive tools for employee members

To help employee members take a more proactive role in managing their own health programs, Avivia Health From Kaiser Permanente today announced the introduction of Your Health Center, a new portal based on Web 2.0 technology that provides user members with powerful digital health coaching and interactive tools. Avivia Health is the only national provider of Wellness and Condition Management Solutions based on 60 years of evidence-based practices by its parent organization, Kaiser Permanente.

27 Apr 2010

KHN column: The hidden costs of publicly financed health insurance

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act continues the American tradition of privately provided, publicly subsidized health insurance. It's how most Americans' health insurance is financed today. But despite its advantages, there is a hidden cost to this arrangement: insurers have more information about health care coverage, spending and utilization than the taxpayers that help fund them.

27 Apr 2010

Pelosi commends President Obama for signing TRICARE Affirmation Act into law

The health insurance reform legislation enacted last month fully protects the health care benefits of our active duty military, military retirees, and their families. None of its provisions would undermine or affect the excellent health coverage these brave men and women and their families already receive.

27 Apr 2010

Aetna Better Health, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reach agreement for Medicaid program

Aetna Better Health in Pennsylvania and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia announced today that they have reached agreement on a new contract that adds the hospital to the Medicaid provider's network in Pennsylvania. The new contract is effective immediately.

27 Apr 2010

Costs, effects on business questioned as health overhaul analysis continues

The Associated Press: The biggest unanswered question in the health overhaul debate remains what the new law will mean for ordinary Americans. "Many experts believe the law falls short on taming costs, and that will force Congress to revisit health care in a few years.

27 Apr 2010

Wellcare faces allegations about director's resignation; Wellpoint confronts reports regarding breast cancer recissions

"A prominent director at WellCare Health Plans Inc. resigned Wednesday and raised questions about accounting practices at the Medicare and Medicaid company. Regina Herzlinger, the head of the board's audit committee and a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, said internal audits found WellCare overbilled the Illinois Medicaid program by $1 million in 2009 and potentially overcharged states for almost $500,000 worth of maternity care."

27 Apr 2010

Dozens of states pass, debate greater restrictions on abortion

Dozens of states are passing or debating new restrictions on abortion, a trend fueled in part by passage of the nation's new health care law. Both sides of the hot-button issue are seeing new approaches to reduce abortions. … So far, 2010 has been 'very successful,' said Mary Spaulding Balch of the National Right to Life Committee.

26 Apr 2010

Today's opinions: Health overhaul reflects history of government intervention; Importance of repairing clinical trials system; Stopping Medicare fraud

The system's opacity gives insurers the upper hand in debates over government payment rates (Austin Frakt, 4/26).

26 Apr 2010

CompCare launches behavioral health services for a health plan in Texas

Comprehensive Care Corporation today announced the launching of its behavioral health services for a health plan in Texas.

26 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 26, 2010

Today's headlines reflect state-level health policy developments as well as forward-looking stories related to the cost of federal health reforms.

26 Apr 2010

Myths and facts about pediatric cancer

"Your child has cancer." They are words every parent can't imagine hearing.

24 Apr 2010

Voluntary benefits continue to be important part of employees' benefits packages

Voluntary benefits -- insurance coverage available through employers and usually paid for by employees -- will continue to be an important part of employees' benefits packages as health care reform measures are implemented.

24 Apr 2010

HHS Secretary urges WellPoint to end harmful practice of dropping health insurance coverage

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter to WellPoint urging them to immediately end their practice of dropping health insurance coverage for women with breast cancer, after Reuters reported that the company "has specifically targeted women with breast cancer for aggressive investigation with the intent to cancel their policies."

24 Apr 2010

IBM, athenahealth sign business process services agreement

IBM today announced that it has signed a business process services agreement with athenahealth, Inc. a leading provider of Internet-based business services for physician practices. The engagement will enable athenahealth to focus its resources on simplifying and improving administrative and reimbursement processes while reducing staff workload, allowing physicians to focus on delivering higher quality care to their patients.

24 Apr 2010

Court upholds Maine's ruling to cut insurance premium hikes; Florida voters to decide whether to amend constitution to fight federal mandate

The Wall Street Journal: "A state court upheld a Maine official's decision to deny a profit margin for a WellPoint Inc. unit in a health-insurance rate request—a ruling that may resonate in other states where regulators are battling premium hikes. Thomas E. Humphrey, chief justice of the Maine superior court, wrote that the approved 2009 rate for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's individual health-insurance product line met the state's legal standard and wasn't 'inadequate'" (Matthews, 4/23).

24 Apr 2010

Officials continue health overhaul sparring, news outlets examine new law's potential improvements for women

Republicans are continuing to pressure officials at the Department of Health and Human Services on health reform as the focus shifts to implementation of the health care overhaul and the first deadlines are approaching, Politico reports.

24 Apr 2010

Unitrin terminates previously announced negotiations with Physicians Mutual Insurance

Unitrin, Inc. said today that its previously announced negotiations with Physicians Mutual Insurance Company for the sale of Unitrin's Reserve National Insurance Company subsidiary have been terminated due to a failure by the parties to reach a definitive agreement.

24 Apr 2010

AmeriHealth New Jersey extends health insurance coverage for young adults currently under parents' plans

Beginning June 1, AmeriHealth New Jersey will extend health insurance coverage for young adults up to age 26 who are currently covered by their parents' individual or employer-sponsored health plans.

24 Apr 2010

Reuters: Wellpoint targets breast cancer patients for rescission

That tens of thousands of Americans lost their health insurance shortly after being diagnosed with life-threatening, expensive medical conditions has been well documented by law enforcement agencies, state regulators and a congressional committee. ... And a congressional committee last year said WellPoint was one of the worst offenders.

24 Apr 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

Centene's first-quarter Premium and Service Revenues up 12.5% to $1.022 billion

Avivia Health announces new portal with digital health coaching and interactive tools for employee members

KHN column: The hidden costs of publicly financed health insurance

Pelosi commends President Obama for signing TRICARE Affirmation Act into law

Aetna Better Health, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reach agreement for Medicaid program

Costs, effects on business questioned as health overhaul analysis continues

Wellcare faces allegations about director's resignation; Wellpoint confronts reports regarding breast cancer recissions

Dozens of states pass, debate greater restrictions on abortion

Today's opinions: Health overhaul reflects history of government intervention; Importance of repairing clinical trials system; Stopping Medicare fraud

CompCare launches behavioral health services for a health plan in Texas

First Edition: April 26, 2010

Myths and facts about pediatric cancer

Voluntary benefits continue to be important part of employees' benefits packages

HHS Secretary urges WellPoint to end harmful practice of dropping health insurance coverage

IBM, athenahealth sign business process services agreement

Court upholds Maine's ruling to cut insurance premium hikes; Florida voters to decide whether to amend constitution to fight federal mandate

Officials continue health overhaul sparring, news outlets examine new law's potential improvements for women

Unitrin terminates previously announced negotiations with Physicians Mutual Insurance

AmeriHealth New Jersey extends health insurance coverage for young adults currently under parents' plans

Reuters: Wellpoint targets breast cancer patients for rescission

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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