Dispute Over Contract Reportedly Threatens Anthem, Yale Medicine Alliance
Anthem, the largest insurer in Connecticut, tells The CT Mirror that Yale Medicine, which has 1,400 physicians, said it will pull out of the insurer's network if they haven't settled terms by Oct. 7. Also, some people buying high-deductible plans are purchasing a separate policy to help cover the deductible.
The CT Mirror:
Yale Medicine Could Leave Anthem’s Network Oct. 7
Yale Medicine, the medical practice that includes more than 1,400 Yale School of Medicine clinical faculty physicians, could leave Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s network next month if the two organizations don’t reach a contract agreement. The dispute pits Connecticut’s largest insurer against a major group of clinicians, and could affect thousands of patients. Anthem says Yale Medicine told the insurer it plans to terminate its contracts if they don’t reach an agreement by Oct. 7. (Levin Becker, 9/21)
Kaiser Health News:
Would You Like Some Insurance With Your Insurance?
For the first time in her life, 26-year-old freelance designer Susannah Lohr had to shop for health insurance this year. She called up a major insurer in the St. Louis area where she lives, and it offered her a plan with a hefty $6,000 deductible — that’s the amount she would have to cover herself before the insurance kicks in. When she balked, the salesman on the phone suggested that she could buy a “gap plan,” a separate policy for $50 a month to cover her deductible. (Sable-Smith, 9/21)
