UnitedHealth, the biggest U.S. insurer, said it expects to spend about $50 billion under accountable-care contracts by 2017, compared with $20 billion now. The programs already have slowed the increase in medical costs and reduced emergency-room visits by 17 percent, the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based carrier said in a statement today. HIT AND MISS: Under accountable-care deals, doctors, hospitals and other care providers can earn higher payments if they meet goals based on cost and patient health or lose money if they miss the marks. Smaller insurers including Aetna Inc. (AET) and Cigna Corp. (CI) also have pushed the new payment plans, with Cigna Chief Executive Officer David Cordani saying he hoped to increase the members in such arrangements 10-fold by 2014. The efforts haven’t always worked. Last month, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said nine health systems, almost a third of the participants, were considering an exit from one pilot program started under the health-care law. bloomberg/news/2013-07-10/unitedhealth-sees-accountable-care-work-doubling-by-2017.html
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 03:24:56 +0000
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