Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dispute Over Contract Reportedly Threatens Anthem, Yale Medicine Alliance
Yale Medicine, the medical practice that includes more than 1,400 Yale School of Medicine clinical faculty physicians, could leave Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield鈥檚 network next month if the two organizations don鈥檛 reach a contract agreement. The dispute pits Connecticut鈥檚 largest insurer against a major group of clinicians, and could affect thousands of patients. Anthem says Yale Medicine told the insurer it plans to terminate its contracts if they don鈥檛 reach an agreement by Oct. 7. (Levin Becker, 9/21)
For the first time in her life, 26-year-old freelance designer Susannah Lohr had to shop for health insurance this year. She called up a major insurer in the St. Louis area where she lives, and it offered her a plan with a hefty $6,000 deductible 鈥 that鈥檚 the amount she would have to cover herself before the insurance kicks in. When she balked, the salesman on the phone suggested that she could buy a 鈥済ap plan,鈥 a separate policy for $50 a month to cover her deductible. (Sable-Smith, 9/21)