UnitedHealth has filed suit against the U.S. Defense Department over its awarding of the Tricare South Region contract to Humana, who it took the contract from two years ago.

A Bellevue, Wash.-based subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corp. is paying $26 million to acquire the renewal rights for some OneAmerica Financial Partners’ medical stop-loss insurance policies.

Anthem Blue Cross in California has agreed to cut its quarterly premium in half, dropping it to 3% on average for some products in its small-group market.

Nearly three-quarters (70%) of employers are concerned about the potential effects of the federal health reform law’s employer mandate.

Pennsylvania’s largest health system and largest health insurer are at a standstill in contract negotiations, and show no signs of calling it quits before their contract expires in 2012.

Independence Blue Cross says it has reached “a significant milestone” in its patient-centered medical homes project.

The U.S. could save more than $1 trillion annually if it adapted another country’s universal health care system and opened up to change, a former U.S. president said at a recent conference.

AmeriHealth New Jersey is offering new lower-cost SEH drug options for all of its PPO, POS, POS Plus, HMO and HMO Plus business plans.

U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the decision of Blue Shield of California to limit its profits is “a great step forward in lowering costs” for health reform.

A federal appeals court in Atlanta, where 26 states will argue against the U.S. Government, is the next stop in the ongoing legal battle over federal health reform.