Cityblock Health and Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc. (Meridian) announced a partnership to bring comprehensive, community-based care to 10,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in urban and rural communities across 17 counties in the greater Springfield and St. Louis Metro East areas. Meridian is a managed care organization in Illinois and a company of Centene Corporation. Cityblock…

After Cincinnati Children’s HealthVine Medicaid pediatric accountable care organization (ACO) expanded the use of telehealth in 2021 within its service area of southwest Ohio, the ACO reported savings of $610,000 due to lower utilization of high-intensity care, according to a case study Serving more than 100,000 children, the ACO’s use of telehealth resulted in 693…

Included Health, which provides a virtual and in-person care coordination and system navigation platform, launched Dot by Included Health, an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. Dot will provide secure access to individuals’ medical history, claims, and benefits, and will facilitate connections to nationwide clinical care teams. Over the past year, Dot has been refined and scaled…

A larger percentage of U.S. children between 2015 and 2019 relied on Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), or Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans for continuous health insurance coverage than were continuously covered by an employer-sponsored health plan, according to a recent analysis. About 26.0% of children between 2015 and 2019 were continuously…

On September 19, 2025, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) published an announcement stating that it was extending its current contracts with Mercy Care, Banner-University Family Care, and Arizona Physicians IPA (doing business as UnitedHealthcare Community Plan) through September 30, 2026, for the Arizona Long Term Care System-Elderly and/or Physically Disabled (ALTCS-EPD) program.…

Kaiser Permanente and Renown Health announced their agreement to jointly own and operate a health plan and outpatient care delivery system that will bring Kaiser Permanente to northern Nevada beginning in 2026. Pending regulatory approval, Kaiser Permanente Nevada will offer health plan coverage to employers and the people of northern Nevada starting with open enrollment in 2026.…

Oregon’s 16 Medicaid Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) had mixed financial results during 2024, according to an analysis by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Nine of the CCOs operated at a profit, and seven operated at a loss. Profit margins ranged from 9.56% to a negative margin of -5.31%. Across all 16 CCOs, the net operating…

U.S. employers project that their health care costs will increase by 9.1% in 2026, which is a higher pace than the previous two years, when increases were 8.1% in 2025 and 7.0% in 2024, according to a new survey by WTW, which provides data-driven, insight-led solutions and specializes in the areas of people, risk, and…

Nevada has become the third state to launch a public health insurance option, after Washington and Colorado, with the rollout of the Battle Born State Plans (BBSPs) administered by three of the state’s Medicaid managed care plans. BBSPs were designed as a public option to improve access and affordability, according to the Final Nevada 1332 Waiver…

New legislation in California, signed on October 6, 2025, directs health plans and health insurers to phase out prior authorization for health care services with approval rates of 90% or higher by January 1, 2028. The legislation is supported by the California Medical Association (CMA). The goal is to reduce the administrative burden on health…