Behavioral Healthcare

Centene Finalizes Acquisition of Behavioral Healthcare Platform

by Victoria Bailey

Centene has completed its acquisition of the behavioral healthcare platform Magellan Health, which will allow the payer to provide members with low-cost integrated healthcare services. “Magellan...

Low Value Care in Pediatric, Inpatient Care Cost $17M in 2019

by Kelsey Waddill

Low-value care in pediatric inpatient care has a high price tag, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open on pediatric hospital spending for low-value services. “As...

Centene Will Address Serious Mental Healthcare in AZ Medicaid

by Kelsey Waddill

Centene Corporation (Centene) will be expanding its Medicaid coverage in Arizona to provide serious mental healthcare services in a competitive contract expansion, the payer announced. “We are...

Centene Highlights Ways to Improve Mental Healthcare for Children

by Kelsey Waddill

The mental and behavioral healthcare crisis is striking children and adolescents, but payers can take steps to protect mental healthcare for children as well as for the adults who are responsible for...

United Behavioral Health Sued for Restrictive Bundled Payment Policy

by Kelsey Waddill

United Behavioral Health is being sued for allegedly denying mental healthcare and substance abuse care claims through its bundled payment policy. United Behavioral Health administers UnitedHealth...

How Payers Help Tackle Substance Use Disorders, Other Conditions

by Kelsey Waddill

The National Quality Forum’s (NQF) Opioids and Behavioral Health committee brought together healthcare leaders from across the nation to explore an under-represented subject: strategies around substance use disorders with...

UnitedHealth Group Kicks Off Integrated Virtual-First Health Plan

by Kelsey Waddill

UnitedHealth Group has launched a virtual-first health plan with the goal of integrating in-person and virtual care. “By collaborating with Optum, UnitedHealthcare is developing a more...

Employer Health Benefits Spending Will Normalize in 2022

by Kelsey Waddill

In 2022, health benefits spending will return to normal, prepandemic levels in 2022 by increasing by an average of 4.7 percent over 2021 healthcare costs, employers anticipated in Mercer’s...

How Payers Leverage Apps to Improve Type 2 Diabetes Management

by Kelsey Waddill

In October 2021, Capital Blue Cross strengthened its Type 2 diabetes management efforts by introducing two new apps to its members, apps that could enable them to prevent and potentially reverse the...

Behavioral Health, Physical Health Worsen Among Women, Children

by Kelsey Waddill

While many health behaviors in women of reproductive age and children have improved in recent years, behavioral health and physical health have declined and uninsurance rose, according to a...

3 Strategies for Sustaining Payer Innovation Momentum Post-COVID

by Kelsey Waddill

The coronavirus pandemic set off a whirlwind of payer innovation, largely out of necessity. In the health insurance world specifically, payers continued to advance new products during the pandemic....

UHC Will Pay Penalty on Mental, Behavioral Reimbursement Parity

by Kelsey Waddill

UnitedHealthcare settled a case with the US Department of Labor and the New York State Attorney General regarding the health insurer’s mental and behavioral reimbursement parity, the Department...

Payer Financially Supports Diversity in Mental Healthcare Workforce

by Victoria Bailey

Blue Shield of California (Blue Shield) is donating $500,000 to a nonprofit internship program in an effort to help diversify the behavioral and mental healthcare workforce. Health Career Connection...

5 Ways Payers Have Tackled Mental, Behavioral Healthcare in 2021

by Kelsey Waddill

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, payers have focused on improving and implementing mental and behavioral healthcare programs. From January to June 2019, 11 percent of US adults reported...

Arkansas Blue Cross Grants $5M to Improve Behavioral Healthcare

by Victoria Bailey

Arkansas Blue Cross is allocating $5.29 million to behavioral health programs in Arkansas to help increase access to behavioral healthcare services amid the ongoing mental health crisis in the...

MACPAC Notes Behavioral Healthcare Parity Compliance Challenges

by Kelsey Waddill

Behavioral healthcare parity compliance has been complicated due to disparate strategies and data collection challenges, particularly around non-quantitative treatment limitations, a recent MACPAC...

Behavioral Healthcare Parity Is Low Among Regional, State Plans

by Kelsey Waddill

Although the coronavirus pandemic has imposed significant changes on the healthcare industry particularly in regards to behavioral and mental healthcare, historically behavioral healthcare parity has...

Aetna Partnership Aims to Increase, Improve Suicide Prevention

by Victoria Bailey

Aetna has partnered with a behavioral health education platform to provide healthcare professionals with resources for suicide prevention. Aetna and CVS Health are aiming to reduce suicide attempts...

Florida Blue Partnership Increases Substance Abuse Care Access

by Victoria Bailey

Updated 6/16/21: Dr. Dewan is an MD. A previous version of this article included PhD in his title.  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (Florida Blue) and New Directions Behavioral Health...

Recent Articles