Are Health Insurers Becoming Monopolists?
The 2011 edition of "Competition in Health Insurance: A Comprehensive Study of U.S. Markets," analyzes commercial health insurance market shares and federal concentration measures for 368 metropolitan markets and 48 states. The study found a significant absence of health insurer competition exists in 83 percent of metropolitan markets studied by the AMA. Indeed, in about half of metropolitan markets, at least one health insurer had a commercial market share of 50 percent or more, and in 24 of the 48 states in study, the two largest health insurers had a combined commercial market share of 70 percent or more. In order, the 10 states with the least competitive commercial health insurance markets are: Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Michigan, Hawaii, District of Columbia, Nebraska, North Carolina, Indiana and Maine.
“New data presented by the AMA demonstrates the degree of anti-competitive market clout that some health insurers have gained through mergers and acquisitions,” said AMA President Peter W. Carmel, M.D. “Our new report is intended to help regulators, lawmakers, researchers and policymakers identify markets where mergers among health insurers may cause competitive harm to patients, physicians and employers.”
For insurers, the numbers raise anti-trust implications. The study notes that the 83 percent of markets rated “highly concentrated,” were done so based on the newly revised "Horizontal Merger Guidelines" issued last year by the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission . “High concentration levels in health insurance markets are largely the result of consolidation, which can lead to the exercise of market power and, in turn, harm to consumers and providers of care,” the report states. “Past and future consolidation of health insurers should raise serious antitrust concerns.
Individual Health Insurance For Maryland - News
Maryland health officials want a company to build a software system to enroll individuals and small businesses in insurance plans through the state's new health care marketplace. Maryland health officials are seeking companies that can build a software
New report American Medical Association finds a lack a competition in the commercial health insurance market. The culmination of years of consolidation among health insurers is restricting competition in four out of five metropolitan areas in the
"Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Program are the two most important safety net programs for children. These must be preserved no matter what else changes in our country," said Irwin Redlener, MD, CHF president and co-founder.
"With the onset of profound changes in health insurance coverage and financing, safety net organizations are facing uncharted waters," said Winston Wong, MD, medical director, Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit, Disparities Improvement and Quality
"Reliable, robust data should be at the foundation of any healthcare decision, whether made by insurers, government officials, or individual patients," said John Wallis Rowe, MD, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Columbia University
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