Tuesday, September 10, 2002

US Steps Up Scrutiny of Health Insurers
Reuters story on comments by a Justice Department official that U.S. antitrust regulators "are stepping up scrutiny of health insurers, concerned that competition in the industry may have been crimped by a recent wave of mergers," and that health insurance companies have become an "area of primary concern" to the department's antitrust division.  
  

Moving Consumers to the Head of the Class
Managed Care article - "Creating a customer base that's aware of the link between cost and services has become the next big challenge in managed care. It's a daunting task.... The idea has gotten more play lately for several reasons: reports that health benefit premiums may rise 20 percent in 2003, a turn away from capitation, and a recent ruling by the IRS that makes it financially more advantageous for employees to enroll in defined-contribution systems."