> Some health insurers in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri will have trouble meeting the medical-loss ratio requirements, according to the Insurance Journal. Acquisitions and consolidations will become more common as smaller insurers decide they lack the leverage, staff and resources to adapt to the MLR requirements. Article
> A group of Michigan hospitals and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan have saved $20 million annually through a collaborative effort to reduce surgical complications, reports the Detroit News. Complications from general and vascular surgery dropped nearly 2.6 percent in a recent year among dozens of Michigan hospitals that participated in the cooperative quality initiative, meaning 2,500 fewer patients annually have surgical complications. Article
> HHS has granted itself another 30 days to decide if New Hampshire insurers should receive a waiver from the medical-loss ratio requirements, according to the New Hampshire Watchdog. Article
And Finally... The tie is dead, at least for dermatologists. Article