Reimbursement

Handing a small win to Affordable Care Act opponents, a federal judge is letting the Oklahoma attorney general sue to try to block the federal government's enforcement of the employer and individual mandates.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has settled with Affinity Health Plan, a New York-based managed care plan, for HIPAA violations to the tune of $1,215,780 after a photocopier containing patient information was compromised.

The Labor Department's decision to offer a "grace period" for out-of-pocket limitations in some group health plans has been dubbed the "third health reform delay," but it may have been the first.

UnitedHealthcare's employee wellness rewards program highlights the special role health plans can play in patient engagement, according to research published in Health Affairs. 

Federal Medicaid officials are now reviewing and possibly amending Arkansas' waiver application for a Medicaid "private option" -- and as last minute changes to the waiver proposal show, the policy is evolving.

Eight-hospital Barnabas Health in New Jersey is launching an accountable care organization program with the state's largest insurer, intended to both lower costs and improve care quality. The ACO go-live date is September 1.

Several key trends are reshaping the business strategies of health insurers in advance of the Jan. 1 go-live date for many provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

The trend of providers owning health plans took a big step forward in New York last week when the state approved North Shore-LIJ Insurance Company's application for an insurance license.

Following other Blues around the country, Independence Blue Cross is redesigning its corporate structure in pursuit of flexibility.

Almost seven in 10 uninsured individuals with pre-existing conditions still don't know if they will purchase health insurance in 2014, according to a report from InsuranceQuotes.com, part of Bankrate Inc.