This is a bit o/t, but goes to show how screwed up things are, without the gubbament making it worse.
A month ago, we had to go to Pittsburgh, to bury Mom. Up there, the stinking Univ. of Pgh. owns most of the hospitals. For reasons that were not made clear, somehow Pitt and BCBS got into some kind of knock-down drag-out. It had something to do with Pitt not accepting BCBS. So, BCBS retaliated by buying all the hospitals that Pitt did not own. And locked out all the doctors that had privileges at any of Pitt's hospitals. Which effectively meant most doctors would end up losing their patients! They could not see BCBS at Pitt hospitals, and were not allowed in the BCBS ones.
I found all this out watching the TV. Ads being run, showing how much money you can save at one of the BCBS hospitals, as opposed to the ones Pitt ran.
Of course, the fact BCBS owned all those competing hospitals was not disclosed in any of the ads.............
So, in the short term, it will lead to a price war. Eventually, they will kiss and make up. Then jack all the prices back up.
Oh, also led to my RN stepsister having her job eliminated. (Yeah, she worked at a Pitt one, and she is also over 50.)
A month ago, we had to go to Pittsburgh, to bury Mom. Up there, the stinking Univ. of Pgh. owns most of the hospitals. For reasons that were not made clear, somehow Pitt and BCBS got into some kind of knock-down drag-out. It had something to do with Pitt not accepting BCBS. So, BCBS retaliated by buying all the hospitals that Pitt did not own. And locked out all the doctors that had privileges at any of Pitt's hospitals. Which effectively meant most doctors would end up losing their patients! They could not see BCBS at Pitt hospitals, and were not allowed in the BCBS ones.
I found all this out watching the TV. Ads being run, showing how much money you can save at one of the BCBS hospitals, as opposed to the ones Pitt ran.
Of course, the fact BCBS owned all those competing hospitals was not disclosed in any of the ads.............
So, in the short term, it will lead to a price war. Eventually, they will kiss and make up. Then jack all the prices back up.
Oh, also led to my RN stepsister having her job eliminated. (Yeah, she worked at a Pitt one, and she is also over 50.)