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OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 22, 2023 - Blue Shield of California and Adventist Health have reached a new agreement that provides Blue Shield members in-network access to Adventist hospitals. The arrangement includes all 18 Adventist hospitals across California and is effective December 1, 2023. “As a mission-driven health plan, our goal is for our members to have access to quality care that’s sustainably affordable,” said Aliza Arjoyan, Blue Shield’s senior vice president of Provider Partnerships and Network Management. “Adventist Health has been a part of Blue Shield’s network of providers for a long time, and I look forward to continued collaboration with the hospital system.” “We are pleased to continue our long-working relationship with Blue Shield of California,” said Kerry L. Heinrich, president and CEO of Adventist Health. “Our mission calls us to provide access to high-quality care close to home in the communities we serve, and we are excited to continue caring for Blue Shield members.” Blue Shield serves more than 4.8 million members in California through network relationships with about 350 hospitals and more than 122,000 providers across the state. Click Here to Read More.

Jan 3 (Reuters) - Health insurer Cigna Group (CI.N) is in exclusive talks to sell its Medicare Advantage business to Health Care Service Corp (HCSC) in a deal that could value the unit between $3 billion and $4 billion, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Health insurer HCSC, a Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in five U.S. states, said it does not comment on "rumor or speculation". Shares of Cigna fell about 2% on the news and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The deal is expected to be announced in the coming days, if the talks do not fall apart, according to the source. A sale could mark a change in Cigna's strategy for the Medicare Advantage segment, through which it manages government health insurance for people aged 65 and older. Click Here For More Information

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With a key deadline coming up on Dec. 31, Covered California announced that 161,670 people have signed up for 2024 coverage as of Dec. 23 during this open enrollment, marking an 18 percent increase over the same period last year and the highest during this same period in four years. Another 1,571,559 Californians have renewed their coverage so far. “The robust enrollment we have seen so far highlights how much Californians value affordable health care coverage,” said Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman. “California has strived to make health insurance more affordable for more people, and it is vital for the remaining uninsured in the state to look into their options before the end of the year and sign up.” With the first open-enrollment deadline of Dec. 31 quickly approaching, Covered California is urging consumers to sign up now so they can have their health care coverage begin on Jan. 1. Open enrollment will end on Jan. 31. Click Here to Read More

Dickerson would like to officially announce Dickerson has entered into a contracted national GA partnership with Beam Benefits. This partnership provides a host of new opportunities to enhance the benefits and services we provide to our valued clients. Beam is an employee benefits company that offers a full-suite of ancillary benefits. They write their dental, vision, life, and supplemental health policies on Nationwide® and National Guardian Life® paper. Beam provides tech-enabled solutions, exceptional customer service, and an extensive network of top-tier providers. Beam can be a fit for groups large and small. Dickerson will have the ability to self-quote using the Beam Quoting Tool! Contact your Dickerson Sales Rep Today for a Quote!

UnitedHealthcare is announcing exciting enhancements to our Care Cash® program that are designed to help improve the consumer experience and expand employer eligibility. About Care Cash Care Cash helps employees pay toward cost-sharing of certain eligible network health care expenses. A preloaded debit card can be used for visits to UnitedHealth Premium® primary care and specialist providers, network primary care, 24/7 Virtual Visits, urgent care, outpatient behavioral health and lab visits. Through Care Cash, employees may: Save Money Stay Healtheir Take Ownership of their Health Care Cash aims to help reduce total cost of care and provides employees with a simpler experience. Watch and share this video with your clients. Program Enhancements Updated UnitedHealth Premium Designation alignment: The Care Cash program has applied the UnitedHealth Premium program enhancement, which supports greater emphasis on quality. Additionally, Tier 1 status was given to a subset of Premium Care Physicians with cost-efficient ratings of A through D. Effective Nov. 1, 2023, the Care Cash program aligns with the updated UnitedHealth Premium program definition, including the designation of Tier 1 physicians. Inclusion of laboratory services: Beginning in 2024, the Care Cash program will include minor diagnostic laboratory services in the provider-eligible expense definition. This enhancement will apply to any new Care Cash customer with a Jan. 1, 2024, case-effective date or later and will apply to existing Care Cash customers upon their 2024 renewal date. Click Here for More Inofrmation. Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep for Help Quoting UHC!