Health Plan Weekly

Both UnitedHealthcare and Humana Inc. are rolling out new disease-specific care management programs aimed at providing patients with the tools they need to help control their chronic conditions.

The programs — UnitedHealth’s focusing on type 2 diabetes and Humana’s on chronic kidney disease — highlight both new digital and time-tested interpersonal ways of managing chronic conditions, observers say.

In recent years, high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) — now common in both employer-sponsored and individual markets — have faced increasing scrutiny as evidence emerges that they may not actually cause people to be savvier health care consumers. Now, a new study adds another layer to the debate by finding that access to and uptake of health savings accounts (HSAs) is low among people enrolled in HDHPs. Experts have varied opinions on the study’s implications, but they agree that the findings underscore the need for better consumer education about the benefits of HSAs.

The study, published on July 17 by JAMA Network Open, details findings from a 2016 survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults ages 18 to 64 who were enrolled in an HDHP for at least 12 months. Researchers reported that 32% of HDHP enrollees did not have an HSA, and 55% of HDHP enrollees who did have an HSA had not contributed any pretax funds to their account in the past 12 months.

Stakeholders across the health care industry praised recently finalized revisions to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 42 CFR Part 2 rule. The changes loosen disclosure and privacy requirements about a patient’s history of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Experts say the rule should improve care coordination for people with SUD challenges, though some expressed concerns about limited care resources and patient privacy.

“I think [the final rule] provides more freedom for using information that previously was more confidential under Part 2. It seems to be geared towards practical considerations that had inhibited the use of such data,” health care lawyer Raja Sekaran, a partner at Nossaman LLP, tells AIS Health. Sekaran previously worked as an attorney in HHS’s Office of Inspector General. “What I see in it are a lot of opportunities for broader waivers and consents for information to be shared in different contexts.”

✦ Molina Healthcare Inc. said on July 17 that it entered a definitive agreement to buy certain assets of Passport Health Plan. The move comes after Kentucky awarded Molina a Medicaid managed care contract award, but not nonprofit Passport, which was almost entirely dependent on Medicaid business in that state. As part of the proposed transaction, Molina will acquire “certain assets related to the Medicaid and DSNP lines” of Passport’s business for $20 million, “plus contingent consideration that is payable in 2021 based on Molina’s Kentucky Health Plan’s open enrollment results in 2020.” Molina will also acquire the Passport name, as it is a well-known brand in Kentucky. The acquisition is expected to close before the end of the year. Visit https://bit.ly/3h4BN7u.

✦ Priority Health President and CEO Joan Budden will retire from leading the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based payer effective Jan. 1, 2021. During her tenure, Budden oversaw the acquisition of Total Health Care Inc. and negotiated a countrywide network reciprocity agreement with Cigna Corp. Spectrum Health Systems Inc., an integrated system that owns Priority Health, said it will engage the Furst Group for an internal and external national search for the new president of Priority Health. Budden will remain active in her role “to ensure a smooth transition through the end of the year,” the insurer said. Read more at https://bwnews.pr/30gRphJ.