It LOOKS LIKE the health care bubble is about to pop.

I just got a letter from Mission Health (the largest hospital network and employer in Western North Carolina). They're informing everyone that if Blue Cross (dominating 72% of the market) will not renegotiate their terms of agreement by midnight of 10/4/2017, Mission Health will no longer accept Blue Cross as a 3rd party payer. This is going to make health care significantly less affordable in the area, and can potentially result in mass unemployment. This isn't just hospitals we're talking here. Mission Health's network extends to Urgent Care facilities, retail pharmacies, retail medical supply stores, and most importantly, local family doctors. Looks like things might be getting really bad here soon. Obama Care is killing the local economy.

As a pharmacy technician, I've been watching things fall apart since 2014. Everything, from the out-of-pocket drug prices, to premiums and co-pays have rapidly gone through the damn roof. Some very old and inexpensive drugs have gone up in price by as much as 100 fold.

If the free market is not reintroduced into the health care system soon, the whole thing is going to come crashing down, and its going to drag jobs and a large, "too big to fail", chunk of the economy with it. Americans are not prepared to handle this kind of crash.


Here is how Mission Health is explaining their situation.

Link.

I'm not a supporter of Mission Health. I think they offer mediocre services for exorbitant prices, but so many people rely on them for both employment and health care.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

This happens more often than you think. I'm at a major university teaching hospital and at least every 3-4 years they get into a dustup with one carrier or another.

Eventually it settles but you have to go through the bilateral toddler tantrum as well. Neither side want to walk away rather they are trying to play hardball with negotiations. Sometimes one side blinks, sometimes they have to strike. Other carriers typically pick up the slack.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

What!? But it's Obamacare. McCain said it is okay now. We can keep our doctors though right?

a reply to: FredT

I hope you're right. My concern is that Obama Care has made BCBS a virtual monopoly in the area. So if other companies who can't compete with BCBS don't pick up the slack, then Mission Health can very easily go into bankruptcy. They just spent millions in expanding their facilities. They have new buildings everywhere in my area, so they have some REALLY BIG loans to pay off.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest


Like you said, BELIEVERpriest, things have been falling apart for years. Premiums started going up in 2012, and Hospitals/Doctors started abandoning ObamaCare health insurance in 2013.

Here's refresher of the lies that "sold" the Affordable Care Act lemon to the public...and to Congress, because even they didn't know what was in it.

townhall.com...

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: FredT

I hope you're right. My concern is that Obama Care has made BCBS a virtual monopoly in the area. So if other companies who can't compete with BCBS don't pick up the slack, then Mission Health can very easily go into bankruptcy. They just spent millions in expanding their facilities. They have new buildings everywhere in my area, so they have some REALLY BIG loans to pay off.

Doesn't Blue Cross Blue Shield in your area have TWO medical provider networks? One for ObamaCare plans, and one for Employer plans?

Here in Illinois, BCBS Employer plans have the same hospitals and physicians today as pre-ACA. It's the BCBS ACA-ObamaCare plans that aren't being accepted by 40% of Illinois hospitals/physicians. (Nationwide, only 4% of the population have ObamaCare private health insurance.)

a reply to: carewemust

Yeah, that is the same here, but Mission Health's letter didn't make the distinction. So it sounds like they'll be rejecting BCBS period. Or maybe their just making it sound worse than it really is. I don't know at this point. Neither case would surprise me.

This July 25th article indicates that Mission Health and BCBS-NC are indeed severing their business ties, effective October 5, 2017.

www.beckershospitalreview.com...

So in this case, it's not an ObamaCare issue per se. It's Blue Cross not wanting to pay the price(s) that Mission Health is requesting for medical care provided to BCBS-NC patients.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Why do you suppose the ACA would cause large increases in old drug prices?

Premiums definitely were rising prior to the ACA. Healthcare spending made up about 17.4% of GDP about the time the ACA was passed. It was around 13% of GDP right before George W. Bush took office. It ended up at about 17.8% by the end of 2015, despite far more people being covered by insurance these days. Don't have numbers since then.

a reply to: carewemust

Thanks for the article. Yeah, its not directly linked to the ACA itself, but I believe the ACA has caused BCBS-NC to rise to such a high position that it is now acting tyrannically. Seems like they're the big kid on the block now, and they know it, so they're throwing their weight around like (virtual) monopolies do. Or maybe I'm wrong about that.

a reply to: Greven

My theory is greed. The drug companies see that the ACA plans are backed by tax payer money (which they view as an infinitely deep pocket), so they jack their prices up expecting the ACA plans to pay. All I know is that generic prices were stable in my area until the ACA came along.

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: Greven

My theory is greed. The drug companies see that the ACA plans are backed by tax payer money (which they view as an infinitely deep pocket), so they jack their prices up expecting the ACA plans to pay. All I know is that generic prices were stable in my area until the ACA came along.

You would be correct in that statement

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: carewemust

Thanks for the article. Yeah, its not directly linked to the ACA itself, but I believe the ACA has caused BCBS-NC to rise to such a high position that it is now acting tyrannically. Seems like they're the big kid on the block now, and they know it, so they're throwing their weight around like (virtual) monopolies do. Or maybe I'm wrong about that.

It seems there's enough blame to go around. I'm seeing patients complain in comment sections that Mission Health is taking advantage of their huge size and lack of competition to charge prices that are much higher than the national average for medical care. (One patient complaining of a $6,000 charge for a screw)

On the flip side, BCBS-NC knows that Mission Health has more to lose, if BCBS-NC patients stop going there. With less insurance competition (thanks to ObamaCare), BCBS-NC will still rake in many millions of dollars in premiums, and pay out less money for medical care, because the customers can't go to Mission Health, unless its an emergency.

a reply to: carewemust

Yeah, Mission is by no means a good organization in my book. They are marginally better than the competing joke that is Pardee, but their prices (like all American hospitals) are completely unreasonable. So we the people are caught in the crossfire of quasi-socialist cronyism.

I'll take free market any day of my lifetime.

why are you propagandizing such an important issue?

19 Democrats are going to come along soon and tell you how they don't mind paying more for others healthcare and that they have no problem forcing you to pay for it as well

a reply to: toysforadults

I guess those 19 Democrats won't hesitate to beg Trump for more bailouts.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

there is nothing wrong with healthcare!!

free stuff for everyone!

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Yea it's like everyone in NC has BCBS.

What town do you reside? My wife and I are WCU grads

If it doesn't pan out, a lot of people will be self medicating even more there. I know meth was bad and obviously pot was everywhere from ahesville west.

Makes you really wonder why we can't all just get along

a reply to: FredT

I can believe that....but has it gotten worse since unACA?????

Seems to me, from what I have seen prices have skyrocketed in the last 4 years....and only the mega-insurers will remain.

Maybe BCBS has the plan to be the last plan standing.....and be the "single payer".....