United to Limit Choices on Medical Equipment. UnitedHealth Group has made a deal with device maker Medtronic that will slash options for diabetics who use portable pumps. Starting July 1st, customers on many of UnitedHealth's plans will only be able to choose between two Medtronic pumps or an option made by Insulet Corp. If patients want another brand, they may have to pay some or all of the cost. The insurer says it will make exceptions for patients who have a medical need for another option. Health insurers, big employers and other bill payers have been trying for years to rein in costs and improve care by steering clients to certain doctors and hospitals. They've also restricted options for some prescriptions and lined up deals for smaller-ticket items like diabetes test strips or items patients don't chose, like heart stents. Limiting choice for medical equipment that a patient usually selects is uncharted territory. UnitedHealth rivals Aetna and the Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer Anthem say they haven't done this; however, experts say it could become more common. (Arizona Daily Star, 6/24)

Surprise Medical Bills! PBS NewsHour (6/26) reports that last year, Consumer Reports found 30 percent of Americans with private health insurance have received surprise bills, where their insurance plan paid less than they expected. Of those, 23 percent received a bill from a doctor they didn't expect to get a bill from. And 14 percent said they were charged higher out-of-network rates by doctors they thought were in-network. PBS NewsHour is gathering personal stories from people across the country who have had an experience with surprise medical bills. More information here: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/americans-who-confronted-surprise-medical-bills-share-their-stories/

State Watch

IL. A struggling Illinois health insurance co-op is suing the federal government, claiming it is being shortchanged $72.8 million in promised payments under the Affordable Care Act. Chicago-based Land of Lincoln Health filed the lawsuit lat Thursday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. At least four other insurers have filed similar claims over the so-called risk corridor payments, a temporary provision of the health care law meant to help unprofitable insurers and stabilize consumer prices during the first three years of the law's new insurance exchanges. (AP, 6/23)

MN. Minnesota's largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has decided to stop selling health plans to individuals and families in Minnesota starting next year. The insurer explained extraordinary financial losses drove the decision. ... The Blues reported a loss of $265 million on insurance operations from individual market plans in 2015. The insurer said claims for medical care far exceeded premium revenue for those plans. (Minnesota Public Radio, 6/24)