A Jacksonville, Fla.-based Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance subsidiary agreed to acquire Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Highmark‘s Medicare subsidiary.

U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va) says President Obama‘s Medicare nominee, Marilyn Tavenner, is “eminently qualified” to run the federal program.

Under Obamacare Americans who don’t buy health insurance will be penalized with an extra tax. Now the Obama Administration has come up with a proposal that if you buy too good of an insurance plan as a senior citizen you will also be penalized. Obama wants to charge Medicare beneficiaries an extra 30% on top of their Part B premiums if they purchase Medicare supplemental insurance that covers their deductibles and copays. If passed this will become effective for policies purchased in 2017 or later.

Cigna Corp. is buying HealthSpring for $3.8 billion, as the global health insurer expands its reach into the senior and Medicare markets.

The congressional super committee creating a budget to reduce the federal budget deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years is targeting Medicare supplemental health plans, or Medigap plans.

The open enrollment season for Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug benefits begins Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7 this year, a timespan several weeks earlier than in prior years.

A Maryland-based national health insurer is partnering with several big retail pharmacies to offer new Medicare prescription drug plan called First Health Value Plus.

What progress are the states making in their required compliance to help President Obama turn his philosophy into a workable government oversight and management system run ostensibly by those very states?

The fourth largest nonprofit Medicare Advantage health plan in the U.S. is partnering with the American Cancer Society to provide its more than 130,000 members in California with cancer prevention and early detection messages.

A total of 91 people, including doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, were charged in connection with a Medicare false-billing scheme costing about $295 million.