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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois' parent company is offering buyouts to employees in Illinois and four other states after financial losses last year. Dana Holmes, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, confirmed Wednesday that buyouts are being offered to employees age 50 and older in Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Montana, all states with health insurance plans that fall under parent company Health Care Service Corp. (Schencker, 9/7)

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the largest insurer in the state, said it paid doctors $58.9 million in care coordination and quality bonuses last year, up from $40.4 million in 2014. That money -  directed toward so-called patient-centered medical homes designed to improve quality and reduce costs -  was in addition to traditional fee-for-service payments. (Brubaker, 9/7)