Oregon & Washington | Winter | 2008 | Health Plan Analysis
Washington's individual health insurance market is growing, but medical cost trends have resulted in double-digit premium increases. As a result, the state's insurance commissioner is backing legislation to regulate rate increases for this segment of the market. Meanwhile, some Washington physician groups are urging their patients to bypass fee-for-service Medicare in favor of physician-owned Medicare Advantage plans. A chronic disease management program for Medicaid beneficiaries in Washington has netted strong financial returns in its final year. Finally, Regence – which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in both Oregon and Washington – has interesting results from a survey on consumers' online behavior as it relates to healthcare.
