There must have been a certain amount of schadenfreude among providers watching Health Net, Inc. report a $27 million first-quarter 2012 loss, triggering a 25% drop in its share price. After all, Health Net attributed blame for its woes partly on an inability to comply with updated 5010 electronic transaction standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). When CMS set a Jan. Read more

To judge from CEO compensation, which remains at healthy levels, according to Health Plan Week's annual survey, publicly traded health insurers have not been cowed by the “say on pay” provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. But insurers aren’t ignoring the rules, either. 2012 marks the second year that shareholders have the chance to have their say on pay. Read more

A big event takes place later this week when the Affordable Care Act marks its two year anniversary on March 23 since it was signed into law. Since then, many changes have taken place (with many more to come) that have impacted the health insurance industry dramatically. But don’t expect President Obama to be celebrating on Friday. Read more

When I hear “Disney World” mentioned, images of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Cinderella come to mind. But recently, Disney, in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, was set to open a new exhibit, dubbed Habit Heroes, with villains known as Sweet Tooth and Snacker, as a way to teach children about healthy living in a fun and interactive way. I say “set to open” because the exhibit has yet to open amid controversy. Read more

Somewhat lost in the recent hubbub over the health reform law’s mandate that contraceptives be covered in health plans for employees of religious organizations is the impact it will have on health insurers. By and large, insurers have been publicly mum on the topic, though a spokesman for trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans did say, “We are concerned about the precedent this proposed rule would set.” Read more

That was the headline of a blog opinion piece posted on The New York Times website on Jan. 30. With a title like that, how could the piece not be interesting? And although I personally disagree with some of their arguments, the authors, Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Jeffrey B. Liebman, both former advisors under President Obama, do make some valid points worth discussing. Read more

Speaking today at a webinar sponsored by AIS, Morningstar, Inc. analyst Matthew Coffina points to Steward Health Care System in Massachusetts as an example of the type of "increasingly powerful and well‐organized Accountable Care Organizations [that will] compete directly with insurers." Steward got its start in Massachusetts through the November 2010 acquisition of the six-hospital Caritas Christi chain. It now operates 10 hospitals in Massachusetts and is seeking regulatory approval to... Read more