Md. Blues Chief Blasts Plan To Shift Hospital Costs To Insurers

Negotiations to avert a breakdown in Maryland’s unique system of regulating hospital prices have deteriorated into a stalemate between the state’s largest insurer and the Maryland Hospital Association. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield CEO Chet Burrell, speaking out for the first time about the talks, blames hospitals for their proposal to shift hundreds of millions in costs to CareFirst and other private insurers in an attempt to control rising Medicare spending.

“Not only were we high cost already,” said Burrell, referring to Maryland private-sector medical costs, “now you say, ‘Let’s shift costs to the private sector from the public sector and make it worse’? Is that what constitutes sound public policy? We have said cost shifting is not a path to go down.”

Read the full story: bit.ly/QpUKC4

Source: Kaiser Health News