Christopher Snowbeck

GS Labs opened testing centers in the Twin Cities to capitalize on spiking demand during the pandemic.

The nation’s largest for-profit Medicare Advantage insurers denied pre-approval requests for post-hospital care 51% to 80% of the time, the study says. The industry says the findings paint a flawed picture.

Health insures say pre-approvals are necessary to control costs, particularly with the wide variation in cost and quality of post-hospital care.

UnitedHealth Group's Medicare Advantage health plan and its two largest for-profit rivals denied patients' requests for post-hospital care at much higher rates — 51% to 80% of the time — than other insurers, according to a new federal watchdog report.

Health system's notice to patients this week comes more than six months before access to Fairview hospitals and clinics would be blocked. Insurer says health system is "putting seniors in the middle" of a negotiation.

Once again, the Minneapolis-based health system notified 11,000 patients by email this week about changes that would happen in 2027. The Minnetonka-based insurer calls the message a “scare tactic.”

In Minnesota, Medica, Blue Cross and Blue Shield and HealthPartners are all proposing rate hikes of over 10% for those who buy insurance on the MNsure exchange in Minnesota. UCare-branded coverage for individuals will disappear next year, as shutdown continues at Minneapolis-based insurer.

Proposed double-digit rates increases on the state’s MNsure exchange are a bellwether for broader cost trends.

For the second year in a row, Minnesota health insurers are seeking double-digit percent rate increases next year for coverage sold on the state's MNsure exchange.

For the second year in a row, Minnesota health insurers are seeking double-digit percent rate increases next year for coverage sold on the state's MNsure exchange.