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April 15, 2009
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MHMR April 15, 2009; Volume 17, Number 7
WellPoint to sell PBM…Public plan compromise possible…Commercial PPO lives fall…Not-for-profit Blues feel pinch…Chart: Commercial PPO lives…Medicare rates to rise 0.8%...Top plans: 9.6 MM CDHP lives…Chart: HSA, HRA enrollment…4Q08 MCO lives up 4%...Chart: MCO total lives…Highmark net falls in ’08…BCBS HMO/POS lives fall…Chart: BCBS HMO/POS lives…Lord to leave Humana…4Q08 HMO/POS lives fall 1%...Chart: HMO/POS lives…Hacker defends public plan…and more…
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WELLPOINT TO SELL PBM; WHO’S NEXT?
WellPoint’s agreement to sell its pharmacy benefit management operation NextRx to Express Scripts for $4.675 billion marks a strategic turning point.
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PUBLIC PLAN COMPROMISE POSSIBLE
Healthcare czar Nancy-Ann DeParle pointed to the possibility of a compromise on a public health plan for the uninsured and small business—a plan that would compete with private insurance through a national health insurance exchange.
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NOT-FOR-PROFIT BCBS PLAN FEEL PINCH
Not-for-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield plans felt the pinch in 2008, with capital levels hammered by falling investment income, writes Carl McDonald of Oppenheimer.
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MEDICARE RATES TO RISE 0.81% IN 2010
Reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage plans will rise 0.81% in 2010, according to final figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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HIGHMARK NET INCOME FALLS 75% IN 2008
Highmark Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) reported net income of $94.1 million in 2008, down 75% from $375.4 million in 2007, because of a drop in investment income.
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LORD TO LEAVE HUMANA FOR HEALTH NAVIGENICS
Jonathan Lord, M.D., who has played a key role in product development as Humana’s chief innovation officer for the past nine years, will leave the company on May 1 to become CEO of genetics firm Navigenics (Foster City, CA).
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HACKER DEFENDS PUBLIC PLAN CONCEPT
In a new paper, healthcare policy advisor Jacob Hacker defended his proposed idea for a public health plan for the uninsured, a key component of President Obama’s healthcare reform package.
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