Independence Blue Cross Launches New Lower-Cost, High-Value Individual Health Plans

November 2, 2011

Philadelphia, PA – November 1, 2011 – Independence Blue Cross (IBC) announced the introduction of two new progressively designed health plans for individuals and families that offer coverage beginning this fall on November 15. New members in southeastern Pennsylvania may now select from a broadened suite of 13 different medically underwritten health plans from IBC, [...]

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Southland Benefit Solutions, LLC, Announces Formation of a New Company to Focus on Defined Contribution Employee Benefits Training for Agents and Brokers

October 28, 2011

Southland Benefit Solutions, LLC, (Southland) today announced that it has formed, Health Partners America, LLC, (HPA) a health insurance training and services company that offers its clients long-term solutions in a rapidly changing healthcare benefits environment. Based in Tuscaloosa, with a sales office in Birmingham, AL, HPA will operate as a subsidiary of Southland. Formerly [...]

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Cigna to Acquire HealthSpring

October 24, 2011

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. & NASHVILLE, Tenn., October 24, 2011 – Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) and HealthSpring, Inc. (NYSE:HS) today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which Cigna will acquire all the outstanding shares of HealthSpring for $55 per share in cash, a 37% premium over the closing stock price on Friday October 21, [...]

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WellPoint Earns Industry Recognition for Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection

October 21, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — WellPoint, Inc., (NYSE: WLP) today announced it has been awarded Silver and Honorable Mention honors for Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection by URAC, a leading health care accreditation organization. The awards recognize industry achievements in advancing the role of consumers as active participants in their health [...]

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HealthAmerica Opens Health Insurance Kiosks in Malls

October 17, 2011

HARRISBURG, Pa. & PITTSBURGH–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Got a question about Medicare or individual insurance coverage? Now you can ask a person. Face to face. One-on-one. “Our new kiosks allow consumers to meet in person, face-to-face with a HealthAmerica representative to discuss their specific coverage needs rather than over the phone or going online” That’s the premise behind [...]

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TriZetto Expert: Population Health Management, Informed by Clinical Analytics, Can Bend Cost Trend and Improve Outcomes

October 14, 2011

DENVER, Oct 13, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The TriZetto Group noted with interest a Health Affairs article in July reporting that national healthcare spending was expected to increase from 17.6 percent in 2010 to 19.8 percent in 2020, as economic recovery spurs higher utilization and an estimated 30 million additional people receive health insurance coverage [...]

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Castlight Health’s Health Care Portal Launched by Esterline Corporation to Complement Innovative Health Benefit Design

October 13, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – Castlight Health, developer of a personalized health care shopping portal offering unbiased information about health care cost and quality, announced today that Esterline Corporation, a leading worldwide supplier to the aerospace and defense industries headquartered in the Pacific Northwest, will be providing the Castlight portal to its employees across all 23 [...]

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Kaiser Permanente Leads the Nation in 11 Effectiveness of Care Measures

October 11, 2011

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente leads the nation with the most No. 1s receiving top marks in 11 out of 40 effectiveness of care measures among all reporting commercial health plans. These conclusions were based on information in the 2011 National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Quality Compass® data. Kaiser Permanente received top marks for: Weight assessment [...]

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HealthAmerica and Preferred Primary Care Physicians Launch Pilot to Deliver Accessible, Patient-centered and Coordinated Primary Care

October 10, 2011

PITTSBURGH–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HealthAmerica and Preferred Primary Care Physicians (Preferred) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have launched a new pilot program with the goal of providing more coordinated and patient-centered primary care and improved communications among patients, their physicians and their care team. “HealthAmerica will play an important role because of the data we track on quality measures, which [...]

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Walgreens Prescription Refill Text Alerts Deliver Important Reminders for Mobile Users, Reply to Reorder

October 7, 2011

DEERFIELD, Ill., October 06, 2011 – Text messaging has become the most popular form of communication for mobile users in the U.S., and now Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (NASDAQ: WAG) is helping its pharmacy patients remember and order prescription refills through its newest mobile feature, Refill Reminder Text Alerts. The new service delivers a text message [...]

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