CVS taps Ed DeVaney to head Caremark

DeVaney was named president of the pharmacy benefit manager after serving in the interim role since December. 

By Emily Olsen • Feb. 19, 2025

MultiPlan rebrands as Claritev amid alleged price-fixing lawsuits

The company has faced a spate of lawsuits, including recent litigation by the American Medical Assocation that claimed it colluded with insurers to underpay providers for out-of-network care. 

By Emily Olsen • Feb. 18, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Payer/provider relationships

As M&A intensifies and companies embrace more holistic and value-based care models, partnerships have become more closely intertwined.

By Healthcare Dive staff

Trump administration slashes funding for ACA navigators

The CMS on Friday announced a record cut to funding for community groups that help consumers learn about and select ACA plans, suggesting President Donald Trump plans to once again chip away at the exchanges.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 18, 2025

RFK Jr. confirmed as HHS secretary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine critic, was confirmed Thursday by the U.S. Senate in a 52-48 vote to serve as the nation’s top health official.

By Emily Olsen • Feb. 13, 2025

GOP calls for $1.5T in cuts, much of which could come from healthcare

House Republicans unveiled their budget wish list last week, which directs the Energy and Commerce Committee — which oversees Medicare and Medicaid — to find $880 billion in savings.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 13, 2025

CVS slashes profit in 2024 as high medical costs hit Aetna

However, the healthcare giant beat Wall Street expectations for earnings and revenue in the fourth quarter, sending its stock soaring on Wednesday. 

By Emily Olsen • Feb. 12, 2025

Large healthcare companies are redistributing most of their profits to shareholders, study finds

Researchers suggested that policymakers encourage reinvestment of capital into patient care and limit share buybacks based on the findings.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 12, 2025

A new, non-opioid pain drug is here. Getting it to patients could be agony.

After decades of research, Vertex Pharmaceuticals now has an approved pain medication. Can one of the world’s most powerful biotechs contend with a healthcare system that’s long favored opioids?

By Jacob Bell • Feb. 11, 2025

Humana’s 2024 profit slashed in half amid higher medical spending

The massive insurer now expects to lose 550,000 Medicare Advantage members — roughly one-tenth of its individual MA footprint — this year as a result of plan cuts.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 11, 2025

Nearly two-thirds of Medicaid beneficiaries already work: KFF

Most adults on Medicaid are employed, suggesting few beneficiaries wouldn’t meet a work requirement policy being considered by Republicans in Congress.

By Emily Olsen • Feb. 7, 2025

Alphabet’s Verily to sell stop-loss insurance unit to Elevance

The deal could signal that Elevance wants to build out its commercial products to hedge against volatility in Medicaid and privatized Medicare plans.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 7, 2025

Elon Musk’s DOGE gains access to CMS

The CMS said it’s working to find “opportunities for more effective and efficient use of resources in line with meeting the goals of President Trump.” The agency could be a big — and politically delicate — target for DOGE.

By Emily Olsen • Feb. 6, 2025

New contract wins ding Molina’s earnings outlook for 2025

Medicaid and dual-eligible contracts fuel growth for the California-based insurer, but also come with upfront implementation costs that will lower its earnings this year, executives said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 6, 2025

Express Scripts, Kroger reach new pharmacy network agreement

The two have mended fences after a nasty contract dispute in 2022 caused Kroger pharmacies to go out of network with Express Scripts’ members.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 5, 2025

Oscar Health reports first profitable year

The insurer lost $153.5 million in the fourth quarter but still eked out a $25.4 million profit for the full year thanks to snowballing growth in ACA plans.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 5, 2025

Molina closes ConnectiCare acquisition

The deal adds $1.4 billion in annual premiums to Molina’s topline and 140,000 additional Medicare, Affordable Care Act marketplace and commercial members to the insurer’s rolls.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 4, 2025

Centene sets itself up for ‘equilibrium’ in 2025

The insurer also reported notable ACA growth for this year, though membership could tick back down through the second quarter due to program integrity efforts.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Updated Feb. 5, 2025

Cigna to tie executive compensation to customer satisfaction

Cigna is one of a handful of national insurers that pledged to ameliorate customer pain points with healthcare, but the first to release a specific plan. 

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Feb. 3, 2025

ACA plans denied one-fifth of in-network claims in 2023, KFF finds

Insurers poked holes in KFF’s methodology — a spokesperson for UnitedHealth called the study “grossly misleading” — to argue that they approve most of the claims they receive.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Jan. 31, 2025

RFK Jr. fumbles Medicare basics during second confirmation hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for HHS secretary, seemed unfamiliar with the massive insurance program during last week’s hearing, mistakenly saying Medicare Part A mainly paid for primary care or physicians.

By Emily Olsen • Jan. 30, 2025

Cigna pledges changes to pharmacy, medical benefits following ‘messy’ close to 2024

Fresh off underperforming Wall Street’s expectations in the fourth quarter, Cigna said it would work to lower costs for its customers amid widespread discontent with the healthcare system.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Jan. 30, 2025

RFK Jr. appears confused about Medicaid, Medicare during confirmation hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly said that Medicaid was fully funded by the federal government and that Medicare is a fee-for-service program during a hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee last week.

By Emily Olsen • Jan. 29, 2025

White House rescinds memo pausing federal funding following pushback

The Office of Management and Budget rolled back a memo halting federal funding that caused widespread confusion and alarm. But “this is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze,” Trump’s top press secretary said.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Jan. 29, 2025

Healthcare’s outlook in 2025: New administration spells uncertainty, but hope remains

Although experts predict payers, providers and health technology companies will grapple with uncertainty in a second Trump administration, some hope that yearslong headwinds could begin reversing course in 2025.

By Sydney Halleman • Jan. 29, 2025

Judge halts Trump freeze on grants as states report healthcare payment portals back online

States and providers regained access to a key healthcare payments portal amid widespread backlash over the Trump administration’s decision to halt federal aid.

By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Jan. 29, 2025