Should Big Insurance Become Like Walmart To Lower Health Costs?
Retail titan Walmart uses its market dominance to inflict “ruthless,” “brutal” and “relentless” pressure on prices charged by suppliers, business writers frequently report.
What if huge health insurance companies could push down prices charged by hospitals and doctors in the same way?
The idea is getting new attention as already painful health costs accelerate and major medical insurers seek to merge into three enormous firms.
Now that hospitals have themselves combined, in many cases, into companies that dominate their communities, insurance executives argue the only way to fight bigness is bigness.
HENRY KOTULA 