Anthem’s Profits Boosted By Medicaid Expansion
The giant insurer reports that it exceeded enrollment expectations for 2014, mostly as a result of government programs, including the health law's expansion of Medicaid in more than two dozen states.
The Associated Press:
Anthem Raises Dividend Almost 43%, Tops 4Q Forecasts
Anthem has hiked its quarterly cash payout to shareholders by nearly 43 percent to keep up with its rising stock price after edging past Wall Street forecasts for the recently completed fourth quarter. ... Investors have been warming up to health insurance stocks for a few years now after watching the sector weather taxes, fees and other changes brought by the health care overhaul, the massive federal law that aims to cover millions of uninsured people. They now see much less uncertainty ahead for the industry. (1/28)
The Hill:
Insurance Giant's Profits Buoyed By Medicaid Expansion In 2014
The country’s second-largest health insurance company said Wednesday that it far outpaced its enrollment expectations last year, with most of that growth coming from the expansion of Medicaid in dozens of states. Insurance giant Anthem enrolled 1.8 million new customers in 2014, with nearly half of the new plans coming from Medicaid programs, its chief executive told reporters Wednesday. (Ferris, 1/28)
Meanwhile, some of the nation's largest providers and insurers agree to shift 75% of their business to contracts with incentives for quality and lower costs -
Modern Healthcare:
Major Providers, Insurers Plan Aggressive Push To New Payment Models
Several of the nation's largest health systems and insurers are joining together in a new task force with the goal of shifting 75% of their business to contracts with incentives for quality and lower-cost healthcare. The Health Care Transformation Task Force includes some of the largest U.S. health systems, including Ascension, St. Louis, and Trinity Health, Livionia, Mich., and insurance giants Aetna and Health Care Service Corp. Employer Caesars Entertainment and the Pacific Business Group on Health also are involved. (Evans, 1/28)
