Posts Tagged ‘insurers’

Medicare Panel Urges Cuts to Hospital Payments for Services Doctors Offer for Less

A federal advisory panel said that Congress should move immediately to cut payments to hospitals for many services that can be provided at much lower cost in doctors’ offices. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission said the current payment disparities had created incentives for hospitals to buy physician practices, driving up costs for the Medicare program and for beneficiaries. Hospital buyouts of doctors, turning independent practitioners into hospital employees, have also led to higher spending by private insurers and higher co-payments for their policyholders, the commission said. Congress often adopts ideas suggested by the commission, and hospital executives fear that could…

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Administration releases rules for health insurance under ACA

Long-awaited details on how insurers can structure health benefits and premiums for policies that will cover tens of millions of Americans starting in 2014 were released by the Obama administration. The three proposed rules reaffirm key elements of the 2010 federal health law, including its requirement that insurers accept all applicants, even those with health conditions, and not charge higher rates based on health, gender or occupation. But the proposals add additional details on how premiums can vary based on age and tobacco use, including allowing tobacco users who enroll in programs aimed at helping them quit to be exempted…

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