> Health Care Service Corp.--which owns Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in five states--reduced its net loss in 2015 to $65.9 million, compared with the $281.9 million it lost the year before. The insurance giant had a 12.6 percent revenue increase from 2014, generating $31.2 billion in total revenue in 2015, according to Crain's Chicago Business. Article
> The uncertainty and complexity of the Affordable Care Act has compelled thousands of insurance agents to bail out of the industry, but opportunities exist for those brokers who are willing to market leaders and differentiators, according to Employee Benefit News. Article
> Donald Trump's healthcare policy plan starts off by saying the Republican presidential candidate would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. However, his plan isn't a true ACA replacement, as it is merely an alternative that would move the health system in a very different direction, Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman writes in a blog post for the Wall Street Journal. Post
Health Finance News
> A regulatory body in Massachusetts has put two pending hospital contracting deals on hold as part of increasing scrutiny of how providers price and assert market clout. Article
> The American Hospital Association's latest survey on the activities of recovery audit contractors indicates that while hospitals are spending a lot of money fighting RACs, they are also succeeding in getting many payment clawbacks overturned on appeal. Article
And finally… Happy hour in the 90s was amazing. Article