Month: October 2024

100M hit by Change Healthcare breach

100M hit by Change Healthcare breach

October 23, 2024

Lauren Berryman

It’s official: The massive cyberattack against UnitedHealth Group unit Change Healthcare was the biggest healthcare data breach in history.

The ransomware incident in February affected 100 million people, or nearly 30% of the U.S. population, according to the Breach Portal maintained by the Office for Civil Rights at the Health and Human Services Department. That’s consistent with what CEO Andrew Witty told a House subcommittee in May, when he testified that the breach ensnared about one-third of the country.

Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna fall in new MA star ratings

Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna fall in new MA star ratings

October 10, 2024

Nona Tepper  
Tim Broderick 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sought to make it more challenging for Medicare Advantage insurers to win top quality scores and the payment bonuses that go along with them. It’s working.

On Thursday, CMS released the latest Medicare Advantage star ratings, and the contrast to just a few years ago is stark. In 2022, 74 Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage contracts garnered five-out-of-five stars. For the 2025 plan year, only seven did.

2025 Medicare Advantage market takes shape amid turmoil

2025 Medicare Advantage market takes shape amid turmoil

October 07, 2024

Lauren Berryman   

Next year’s Medicare Advantage landscape appears relatively stable on the surface. But beneath that lie notable coverage cutbacks health insurers made to recover margins after a turbulent year.

The large number of Medicare Advantage plans available for 2025 and a lower average premium tell one story. Insurers exiting geographic markets, reducing benefits and imposing higher out-of-pocket costs reveal another. Just over half of nearly 67 million Medicare beneficiaries are on Medicare Advantage and open enrollment begins a week from Tuesday.