NYT: Hospital, doctor choices may be rationed on new health exchanges

NBC ^ | 09/23/13 | Robert Pear The New York Times

[11th_VA]

Federal officials often say that health insurance will cost consumers less than expected under President Obama’s health care law. But they rarely mention one big reason: many insurers are significantly limiting the choices of doctors and hospitals available to consumers.

From California to Illinois to New Hampshire, and in many states in between, insurers are driving down premiums by restricting the number of providers who will treat patients in their new health plans.

When insurance marketplaces open on Oct. 1, most of those shopping for coverage will be low- and moderate-income people for whom price is paramount. To hold down costs, insurers say, they have created smaller networks of doctors and hospitals than are typically found in commercial insurance. And those health care providers will, in many cases, be paid less than what they have been receiving from commercial insurers.

SNIP

Even though insurers will be forbidden to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, they could subtly discourage the enrollment of sicker patients by limiting the size of their provider networks.

“If a health plan has a narrow network that excludes many doctors, that may shoo away patients with expensive pre-existing conditions who have established relationships with doctors,” said Mark E. Rust, the chairman of the national health care practice at Barnes & Thornburg, a law firm. “Some insurers do not want those patients who, for medical reasons, require a broad network of providers.”

[workerbee]

We could have gone this same route (set up low-cost community health clinics for those with no other options) at a fraction of Obamacare’s cost.

Yes, but with none of the power. And what fun is that?

[Me1onCollie]

ROTFLOL. “May”? Try “WILL”.

Let’s not be slinky-spines about what’s going to happen, folks, the disaster incoming demands blunt speech.