Hospitals vs. Insurers

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For those that don’t know, many big hospital systems are getting into the insurance racket.  Obviously, this is pissing off the big insurers.  I, for one, say we let them go at it.  Here are some highlights from a Modern Healthcare article:
In markets across the U.S., health systems and medical groups increasingly are competing against insurers to enroll employer groups and individual consumers in their health plans. Providers are eyeing the insurance market because they are entering global budget contracts and figure they might as well capture savings for themselves from their more efficient care delivery. But launching their own plans may also strain negotiations with insurers over rates and networks, said Lofton and other health system leaders at the annual meeting of the American College of Health Care Executives in Chicago.

I love it!  This is like Alien vs Predator.  Okay, so the movies sucked but the arcade game was good.  Anyway, it adds competition to the mix, which we need to bring prices down.  This will work if the insurers don’t walk away from the fight, which they may and then we are back to square one.  But they haven’t yet and I say we sit back and watch the fireworks.