Health Care Thoughts: Obamacare Updates
by Tom aka Rusty Rustbelt
Health Care Thoughts: Obamacare Updates
Latest news on Obamacare:
Narrow Networks – Some customers of the new insurance exchanges may be surprised at the “narrow network” included in their insurance coverage.
Narrow networks have a limited list of approved provider and will likely make out-of-network treatment difficult if not impossible.
This is just now hitting the news, a few days before the exchanges begin operations.
Private Exchanges – The concept of health insurance exchanges is being adopted by employers looking for cheaper coverage and fewer hassles, putting employees into private exchanges managed by various consultants and facilitators.
It is too early to judge the scope of this innovation, but it could become a very large factor in employer provided health insurance.
(Dan here…My own thoughts in comments)
Narrow Networks resemble the HMO of 15 years ago. One could have called them narrow networks as well. HMO’s were less expensive, so is it surprising that the idea is brought back. One other piece suggested that the looses from this in terms of hospitals will be the expensive hospitals that are part of medical school complexes. As studies have shown they are a good bit more expensive than the community hospitals.
How about this from Hackers News:
http://freebeacon.com/despite-assurances-middle-income-americans-could-see-costs-soar-under-obamacare/