Reimbursement

Covered California, the state's Obamacare health insurance exchange, said Tuesday that its premiums will balloon by a statewide average of 13.2 percent next year -- more than triple the roughly 4 percent increases in each of the previous two years.

While sources have said they expect a decision in August, Bloomberg said the DOJ could file the lawsuits this week or next.

Top four insurers, led by Blue Shield of California and Anthem, control more than 90 percent of enrollment.

Cigna has launched CareAllies Inc., a new service company to help providers make the move to value-based care by easing their administrative burden across payers and even supporting the launch and management of their own health plans.

If the law doesn't become too complicated, the CMS chief said it will lead to better care and happier doctors.

The new rule hopes to drive the mass transition to value-based reimbursement, with doctors getting paid based on the quality of their work and the steps they take to improve their practices.

Nearly half of U.S. physicians are unfamiliar with the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, also known as MACRA, according to a new survey of 600 doctors by research and consulting giant Deloitte.

Three participating providers in Next Generation have dropped out, with two citing financial targets as the reason for the departure.

Backers of Montana's seven-month-old Medicaid expansion say they're pleased with the first set of financial data released this week.

Government spending on "compounded" drugs that are handmade by retail pharmacists has skyrocketed, drawing the attention of federal investigators who are raising fraud and overbilling concerns.