Health insurers rally after surprise Medicare decision

(Reuters) – Shares in some of the largest health insurers surged on Tuesday following an announcement late Monday by the government that it would increase payment rates for Medicare Advantage in 2014. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced after the market closed on Monday that it would raise the reimbursement rate by 3.3 percent next year instead of cutting it by 2.3 percent, as it had proposed in February. Humana Inc said on Tuesday that the government’s move is an improvement over earlier proposals, but it still faces challenges in certain parts of the country. …