Health Plan Weekly

In 2024, the health care sector reported 14 data breaches that involved more than 1 million patient records, representing almost 70% of the U.S. population, according to an AIS Health analysis of data from the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

In total, there were 734 health care data breaches that were large enough to report to OCR in 2024, a slight decrease compared to 747 breaches in 2023. However, 2024 was the worst-ever year in terms of the number of patients affected, as a data breach targeting UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare affected an estimated 190 million individuals.

Analysts and investors reacted favorably to CVS Health Corp.’s April 8 announcement that the company had hired a new chief financial officer and expected to “meet or exceed” the 2025 financial guidance it had outlined in February. CVS also hired a new chief medical officer, continuing its executive turnover that began last year and included the ousting of CEO Karen Lynch and Brian Kane, president of the Aetna health insurance subsidiary.  

CVS hired Brian Newman as CFO, replacing Thomas Cowhey, who had been in that role since January 2024 after being the interim CFO for three months when Shawn Guertin took a leave of absence. Cowhey will serve as a strategic adviser to CVS CEO David Joyner, effective May 12. 

Finding a vendor that shares an insurer’s organizational values while enhancing member experience is crucial to getting good return on investment (ROI) from digital health solutions, according to panelists on a recent webinar sponsored by Medicaid Health Plans of America.  

“One of the things that I would say we value is partners who are equally value-based,” said Rebecca Geist, national director of government programs business development for Kaiser Permanente. 

It’s also a matter of ensuring a vendor is “a reflection of our mission and values” and ensuring members retain care and coverage, Geist added. 

Here’s how major health insurers’ stock performed in March 2025. UnitedHealth Group had the highest closing stock price among major commercial insurers as of March 31, 2025, at $523.75. Humana Inc. had the highest closing stock price among major Medicare insurers at $264.60.

Mehmet Oz, M.D., who was recently confirmed as CMS administrator, on April 10 released a “vision for CMS” that outlines a set of policy priorities he’ll pursue. For example, to empower Americans with personalized solutions so that" they can better manage their health and navigate the complex health care system,” Oz said he will implement President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for greater enforcement of price transparency regulations issued during Trump’s first administration. Among other things, Oz said he will also “work to streamline access to life saving treatments” and identify and eliminate “fraud, waste, and abuse to stop unscrupulous people who are stealing from vulnerable patients and taxpayers.”

SCAN Group and Sutter Health on April 10 unveiled a “long-term strategic collaboration” between the two nonprofit, California-based health care companies. As part of the deal, SCAN and Sutter will introduce new Medicare Advantage products in Northern California in 2026 that offer access to hospitals, physician practices and other facilities owned by Sutter, which is an integrated health system. Sutter and SCAN said they also intend to establish a new joint venture MA health plan “in the near future,” which could extend beyond Northern California to reach a broader Medicare population. SCAN Health Plan currently serves 300,000 members in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and New Mexico, the organization said.