Health Insurers and Hospital Groups Argue Price Transparency Rules on Hospitals, Clinical Laboratories, and Other Providers Will Add Costs and ‘Confuse’ Consumers

Insurance industry claims new federal price transparency regulations cost each payer as much as $13.6 million in set up and maintenance costs Price transparency in hospital, clinical laboratory, and other service provider costs marches ever closer to reality for America’s healthcare consumers. Meanwhile, some insurers and hospital groups are working to block implementation of federal rules they argue will confuse consumers and potentially lead to higher costs. The pushback from hospital and...

UnitedHealth Group Says 50% of Seniors Will Enroll In Medicare Advantage Plans within 10 Years; Clinical Laboratories Soon May Have Less Fee-For-Service Patients

Clinical laboratories will want to develop value-based lab testing services as the nation’s largest health insurers prepare to engage with Medicare Advantage patients in record numbers UnitedHealth Group (UNH), the nation’s largest health insurer, forecasts wildly impressive growth of Medicare Advantage plans and value-based care. If this happens, it would further shrink the proportion of fee-for-service payments to providers, including medical laboratories. Changes to how clinical...

Continued ‘Aggressive Audit Tactics’ by Private Payers and Government Regulators Following 2018 Medicare Part B Price Cuts Will Strain Profitability of Clinical Laboratories, Pathology Groups

Medical laboratory leaders must take steps to protect their lab’s financial stability and know how to prepare and respond to investigations and regulatory threats Clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups may soon face a new normal that includes more frequent and tougher audits by both private payers and the government, resulting in larger monetary demands. The financial strain medical laboratories will experience from more aggressive audits will be compounded by the roll out on...

Walmart Health Plan Praised as Affordable, Superior Option to Obamacare Exchange Coverage While Offering Expanded Provider Networks

Yet financial pressures on insurers continue to increase premiums and potentially squeeze reimbursement rates for clinical laboratories and pathology groups Walmart shoppers expect to find low prices on the retailer’s shelves, but the discounter’s full-time employees may be surprised to learn their company healthcare plan is also a low-cost leader. This is a significant finding and is significant for pathologists and clinical lab managers because the Walmart health benefit plan includes an...

More Media Reports of Health Insurers’ Reluctance to Reimburse for Genetic Tests, Thus Angering Many Patients and Causing Medical Laboratories to Go Unpaid

Pathologists should take note that an increasing number of patients who want genetic tests are complaining when they learn their insurance plan will not pay for such tests Concerned about the increased cost of genetic tests, health insurers are becoming reluctant to pay for many types of molecular diagnostics and gene tests. When refusing to pay for these tests, however, they face a buzz saw of angry patients—many of whom see a genetic test as their last resort for a diagnosis and selection of...
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