Tag: Private insurance
Insurance giants merge: Providers brace for lower rates, increased competition
August 7, 2015Tracy Orzel
YARMOUTH, Maine - A recent flurry of mergers and acquisitions between national health insurance companies has HME providers on edge.“I think it should be banned,” said Dave Anderson, owner of Anderson's Medical Products in Terre Haute, Ind. “Letting these companies get so big that they can influence the market unduly is bad.”On July 24 insurance giant Anthem announced plans to acquire Cigna for $48.3 billion. A few weeks earlier, Aetna announced plans to purchase Humana for...
CMS holds steady on Medicare Advantage
February 24, 2015HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS has proposed a very small decrease in payments to Medicare Advantage plans for 2016, the agency announced Feb. 20.CMS says it wants to pay private insurers 0.95% less next year. When more intensive services are factored in, however, the agency says it expects overall payments to increase about 1.05%.“The proposed rates will enhance the stability of the Medicare Advantage program and minimize disruption to seniors and care providers,” stated Andy Slavitt, CMS Principal...