Anthem NH makes Case during negotiations with Exeter Hospital
Anthem Blue Cross of New Hampshire is currently in negotiations with Exeter Hospital. They are trying to come to a new agreement with Exeter Hospital that is more favorable to Anthem. Anthem claims that Exeter is 50% more expensive than similar hospitals in the state:
Please take a look at the reasoning below by Doug J. Wenners (President and General Manager) and let us know what you think!!!! We will keep you updated to the status.
“Several telling examples underscore the high cost of health care delivered at Exeter Hospital.
Exeter is among the most profitable hospitals in the state, with healthy annual operating margins of 9.93% (2007) and 10.32% (2008). According to a report from the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, titled Driving Health Care Premiums: Cost Shifting in New Hampshire , Exeter Hospital enjoyed the second highest operating margin in the state among non-profit hospitals in 2007.
Cost for common procedures at Exeter Hospital, such as CT Scans, are two times the cost than at peer hospitals like Elliot Hospital or Catholic Medical Center, according to the New Hampshire Department of Insurance website.
The New Hampshire Hospital Score card, a report commissioned by the state’s fourth largest public health care purchasers, found that Exeter Hospital was the highest cost hospital in the state.
This increase in medical spending has a direct impact upon premiums. Costs and utilization continue to rise at a rate that far outpaces the increases in median family income, and many New Hampshire businesses are already struggling to provide affordable health care coverage for their employees.”
If anyone from Exeter would like to make their case here, we would gladly publish it.
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