Home » Blogs » DCblogger's blog

MA regulators: Did Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Partners HealthCare collude to fix prices and raise rates 75%?

DCblogger's picture
Mon, 01/26/2009 - 9:36pm — DCblogger

Partners, insurer under scrutiny

Attorney General Martha Coakley has launched an investigation into whether the state's largest health insurance company and its largest healthcare provider may have illegally colluded to increase the price of health insurance statewide over the last nine years, according to several legal and government sources.

The attorney general sent formal demands for information to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Partners HealthCare late last week, the sources say, calling for a detailed account of their contract negotiations in recent years.

Since 2000, Blue Cross has boosted the rate it pays for medical care by Partners doctors and hospitals by 75 percent, dramatically more than the increases given to most other Massachusetts hospitals. Blue Cross now pays $2 billion a year to Partners, parent company of Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's hospitals.

Why do we put up with this?

Bookmark/Search this post with:
  • Buzz Up!
  • del.icio.us
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • Forward
  • Google
  • Newsvine
  • Reddit
  • SlashDot
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo
»

Comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
DCblogger's picture

headlines

By DCblogger on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 10:44pm

I can't write a headline to save my life.

»
connecticut man1's picture

My headlines...

By connecticut man1 on Tue, 01/27/2009 - 4:29pm

are usually what writes the story for me. Go figure? Everyone is different. Try this title on for size:

"Mass. Health Care Collusion Crisis"

»
Andre's picture

Here's the original story

By Andre on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 10:53pm

in the Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/12/28/a_handshake_that_made_healthcare_history/

»
bendjamin's picture

It would help, I think, if

By bendjamin on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 4:10pm

It would help, I think, if doctors, life insurance companies and hospital administrators were to take a lower percentage in their billing for services. The cost to the consumer would be immense.

This is a national problem, not just something to be handed to Federal government to solve. Everyone needs to come up with a solution.

I wonder how many kickback schemes pass between doctors and specialists, for example. These need to be examined and brought to light as well.

»

Help the hamsters with their winter heating bill ...

… as they power the wheels that turn the servers at The Mighty Corrente Building. Please, won’t you help them keep their cages shiny?

No PayPal Account required! Give the hamsters immediate relief!

Or Subscribe to make a monthly payment!

Corrente is completely supported by contributions from readers. Thank you!

Download Citibank Plutonomy files

Part 1 [PDF]

Part 2 [PDF]

Good reading! Favorite quote: What could go wrong?
Beyond war, inflation, the end of the technology/productivity wave, and financial collapse, we think the most potent and short-term threat would be societies demanding a more ‘equitable’ share of wealth.

The 12 Word Platform

1. Medicare for All

2. End the Wars

3. Tax the Rich

4. A Jobs Guarantee

Senior fellows of The Mighty Corrente Building

Leah (CA), Lambert (PA/ME), RDF (??), BDBlue (DC), Hipparchia (FL), MsExPat (NY), letsgetitdone (DC), twig (LA), Tony Wikrent, (NC), jawbone (PA).

Corresponding fellows

danps.

Western Coordinator

coyotecreek

Correspondents

Health care reform: DCBlogger.

Fellows emeritus

mjs, Riggsveda, Tresy, Tom, hekebolos, chicagodyke, shystee, and Xenophon, Vastleft (MA), Sarah (TX).

Random term

SPAT

Some of the People All of the Time. Contributed by alert reader Ed Drone. Usage example: "A SPAT just can't undrink the KoolAid."

I support Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Americans United is dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.