Imagine going to the store and seeing no prices on the products. How do you know if you're actually being charged the right price when you get to the checkout? That's how state treasurer Dale Folwell describes how the state is being charged by doctors and hospitals.
The state health plan insures more than 727,000 public workers. And the treasurer's office says due to their contracts with providers, how much doctors and hospitals are charging the plan is kept confidential. In fact, when the Treasurer's Office submitted a public records request to UNC health care, they say they got nothing but redacted files.
The office has changed their payment model, paying a little more than what Medicare pays for their services. That's because some specialists are currently charging the state 900% more than what Medicare pays.
They've reached out to current in-network doctors and hospitals to agree to the new pricing model. If they don't, they'll be considered out of network. The treasurer expects between co-pays, premiums, and deductibles, these changes will save members $60 million.