Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is asking for a 23% rate hike for individual Affordable Care Act plans. Although the insurer said Thursday it intends to cover all 100 counties, it said its filing "does not guarantee our participation in offering plans."
Between the lines: The insurer says the uncertainty over whether they'll get their ACA cost-sharing payments "drove the majority of the requested increase." If it weren't for that, it says it would have only asked for an 8.8% rate hike.
Why it matters: This suggests that insurers are now beginning to set their rates higher because they don't think they're going to get the ACA payments.
Top executives at Trinity Health heralded to investors this week that hospitalizations at their $16 billion national Catholic hospital system are on the rise, according to a slide deck obtained by Axios. Trinity CEO Dr. Richard Gilfillan and others were presenting at the annual Citi not-for-profit health care conference. An arrow along the slide's Y axis proclaims that when it comes to hospital admissions, "higher is better."
Why this matters: Hospital leaders publicly extol the concept of "value-based care," which includes keeping patients out of the hospital and focusing more on outpatient and preventive care. Experts agree it's better and safer for people to receive care in other settings when appropriate, and fewer inpatient services saves money.
Trinity's slide reveals a "weird disconnect," according to health economist Austin Frakt, but also reveals some truth-telling at a bank conference: Hospitals still want to fill beds with patients as often as they can.
