WellPoint lowers earnings forecast after $90M legal bill
Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. said it is lowering its profit forecast for the year by 3 percent after reaching a $90 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit.
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WellPoint settlement: $90M for former Anthem members
The federal lawsuit was set to go to trial June 18 in Indianapolis. The claims arise from Anthem’s 2001 conversion from a mutual company, owned by its insured policyholders, to a public company.
Health insurers could pay $16.5M in rebates
Health insurance customers in Indiana will get an estimated $16.5 million in rebates this year, but the average amount received per person will be less than the national average and less than 3 percent of the total cost of coverage.
Anthem seeking state rule change allowing doctors to practice online
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has renewed its push to bring online care to the Indiana market, including video. It has asked the state’s Medical Licensing Board to relax a 2003 rule that stands in its way.
UPDATE: WellPoint to boost primary-care pay
Health insurer WellPoint Inc. plans to improve primary care reimbursement and start paying for care management it doesn’t currently cover, changes that could give patients more quality time with their doctors.
Poll: Anthem so-so in customer satisfaction
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield ranked No. 12 in a new national customer satisfaction survey, but the poor showing doesn’t appear to threaten the Indianapolis-based company’s business success.<
WellPoint prevails in shareholder suit over 2001 restructuring
A federal judge has dismissed a shareholder class-action lawsuit against WellPoint stemming from the company’s 2001 conversion from a mutual insurer to a publicly traded company.
Express Scripts, WellPoint in contract fight
Pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts Inc. said Tuesday it is in the middle of a contract dispute with WellPoint Inc., one of the biggest health insurers in the United States.
Health insurers push comparison shopping
Indianapolis-based Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare say they’re responding to demands from employers, who are desperate to rein in spiraling health benefits costs and have begun embracing the idea that to do so they must change their workers’ approach to health and health care.
UnitedHealth to acquire Medicare insurer XLHealth
UnitedHealth Group Inc. said it will acquire XLHealth Corp., a provider of managed care for chronically ill Medicare members. Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. had been considering a possible acquisition of the company.
Judge stays decision in WellPoint policyholder case
Former policyholders of WellPoint Inc., who won a right to a class-action trial over their claims that they were shortchanged when the company went public a decade ago, will have to put their trial plans on hold.
Anthem not quite so dominant
Revised Insurance Department data show the Indianapolis-based carrier claims about 60 percent of the individual health insurance market in Indiana, down from a previously reported 65 percent.
WellPoint to pay $100,000 over data breach
Health insurer WellPoint Inc. will pay $100,000 and take other steps after admitting it waited months to notify 32,000 Indiana customers that their Social Security numbers, health records and other personal information might have been exposed online.
Anthem settles suit involving 120K policyholders
Anthem Blue Cross, an affiliate of WellPoint Inc., has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of manipulating policies and forcing patients into higher deductible policies with fewer benefits.
Anthem: Global payments coming back
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s vision for accountable care organizations foresees doctors and hospitals shifting to global capitation payments and employers getting bigger discounts if they allow their workers access only to health care providers in a specific organization.
Health insurers expect hit from reform rule
Major health insurers, including WellPoint, say a provision that requires them to spend a certain percentage of the premiums they collect on care-related costs will eat into earnings this year.
Swing in governors could help WellPoint deal with reform
Rick Scott of Florida will get another chance next month to derail the law President Obama signed in March when he and 21 other Republican governors-elect are sworn in just as states begin implementing details of the legislation the candidates campaigned against.
Health reform tripping up Indiana wellness incentive
Federal health reform will trump an Indiana law that allows health insurers to offer steep discounts to employers with healthy workers and which institute aggressive wellness programs, but experts say other provisions will motivate small firms.
Health insurance stocks rise after spending rules outlined
U.S. health insurers, including WellPoint Inc., can include the cost of federal taxes in determining whether they spend enough on patient care, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department said Tuesday.
Anthem, critics face off over rate-hike request
Anthem, a subsidiary of Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc., is seeking a 19.9-percent raise for 48,000 individual policy holders in Connecticut, citing escalating health care costs.