Remember when Hollywood wouldn’t show an unmarried couple in bed together? Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Illinois is taking that approach to contract negotiations. If hospitals want to negotiate jointly with the insurer, they have to be merged. Clinical integration isn’t sufficient. It may be an …
CHI Takes the Plunge into the Insurance Business
July 30, 2014 Leave a Comment
For several years now hospital systems have been tip-toeing around the business of health insurance. They’ve been signing up for Medicare Advantage plans, taking on more and more risk, managing care and raiding health insurance companies for executive talent. Now a major national health system is diving …
HEALTH SYSTEMS CONTINUE TO ACQUIRE INSURERS
June 2, 2014 Leave a Comment
The wall between health care providers and health insurers continues to erode, as Ascension Health’s CEO acknowledges Ascension is in talks to acquire WellCare Health Plans. Ascension is the nation’s largest nonprofit health system, with 101 hospitals. WellCare is a Medicare and Medicaid managed care …
Will Oregon’s Health Exchange Woes Spread?
April 28, 2014 Leave a Comment
As Congress returns to Washington, keep an eye on the fallout from the news late last week that the fairly dark blue state of Oregon will be shifting from a state to a federally run health exchange to overcome the debacle of Cover Oregon. Even after spending $250 million of money on the site, Oregon residents …
FEDS WIDEN HEALTH COVERAGE FOR OBESITY
April 4, 2014 Leave a Comment
Advocacy groups for the obese are applauding a recent directive by the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on obesity treatment coverage. In a March 20 directive to health plans covering federal employees, OPM’s Director of Healthcare & Insurance ordered the plans to stop excluding coverage of …
More Details Emerge on Transitional Reinsurance Fee
April 4, 2014 Leave a Comment
The latest final regulations on the transitional reinsurance fee provide some clarity for plan sponsors. As a reminder, the transitional reinsurance program requires self-insured group health plans and health insurance issuers to pay per-enrollee fees each year beginning in 2014. 2014 Fee Amount: As we …