While thousands of cities and counties have banded together to sue opioid makers and distributors in a federal court, another group of plaintiffs has started to sue on their own: hospitals. Hundreds of hospitals have joined up in a handful of lawsuits in state courts, seeing the state-based suits as their best hope for winning meaningful settlement money.
Narrow networks aren’t popular in health insurance plans, at least not when employers are covering much of the costs. But what about “a curated network?” That’s the pitch from a relatively new insurance company, which says payers could save 20% on total expenses by using a smaller group of providers and a range of telehealth options.
With a contract impasse in its third week, a Gainesville-based health system is spending millions of dollars so that thousands of patients are not having to pay more when visiting the system’s doctors and hospitals. Northeast Georgia Health System’s contract with Anthem ended Sept. 30, which means that since then, Georgians with Anthem insurance have been out of network for NGHS facilities and physicians.
Companies rarely switch the health plans they offer to their workers, and seem to be especially cautious in the 2020 election year. The big picture: Medical and drug costs are crushing employers and workers alike. But altering benefits — which could require employees to change their doctors — could provoke even more anger.
The state of health care is a polarizing topic in the U.S. as the 2020 presidential election draws closer. And recent data suggests that the effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the 2010 legislation commonly known as Obamacare, is starting to slow.