Justice Department Goes After Michigan Blue Cross For Antitrust Violations

[babylonsister]

Justice Department Goes After Michigan Blue Cross For Antitrust Violations
By Susie Madrak


Very happy to see they're pursuing this case. The Blues are infamous for cutting deals with hospitals that squeeze competition out of the market -- in fact, did you know the Blues often require that hospitals do not give sliding-scale prices to people without insurance? If they decide to go after more of them, this might lead to actual competition:

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department sued Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan on Monday, asserting that the company, the state’s dominant health insurer, had violated antitrust laws and secured a huge competitive advantage by forcing hospitals to charge higher prices to Blue Cross’s rivals.

The civil case appears to have broad implications because many local insurance markets, like those in Michigan, are highly concentrated, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans often have the largest shares of those markets.

In the Michigan case, the Obama administration said that Blue Cross and Blue Shield had contracts with many hospitals that stifled competition, resulting in higher health insurance premiums for consumers and employers.

more...

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/justice-department-goes-after-michiga

[BlueIris]

1. Nice. Good luck, DOJ. nt

[Supersedeas]

2. they need to send the Feds to North Carolina