Coventry Health Care said it completed its acquisition of the business of Children’s Mercy’s Family Health Partners, a Medicaid health plan operated by Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.

Natural disasters cost insurance companies more than $32 billion in direct insured losses in the first nine months of 2011, nearly double the average of other years, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

A national advocacy group asked a Kansas federal judge to reject the state’s request to prohibit the group’s claim arguing that a law restricting insurance coverage for abortion discriminates against women.

The owner and operator of a Colorado health plan company pleaded guilty to several charges related to his defrauding and embezzling medical benefit clients of up to $7 million.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big I) recently recognized 18 independent insurance agent associations with Excellence in Insurance Education Awards at its education convocation in Minneapolis, Minn.

Consumers can access the “best” insurance information from state insurance department websites in California, Georgia, Kansas, Ohio, Texas and Utah, while other states’ insurance regulatory websites must improve, according to consumer advocates.

The U.S. Justice Department has expanded an investigation of Blue Cross/Blue Shield licensees’ alleged anti-competitive agreements with hospitals beyond Michigan, where it filed an antitrust lawsuit against the insurer.

A new bipartisan bill proposes amendments to ensure more “appropriate” drug and biologicals payments for community oncology practices, which are struggling to provide the demand for care, under the Medicare Part B program.

The insurance industry is expected to adapt more cloud computing, which offers “affordable and flexible” services that “level the playing field and let small companies compete,” professionals say.

Seven states will receive a total of about $241 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to design and implement online health care exchanges.