I read an article in Sundays NY Times that stated, “The Bush administration
is proposing a new policy that would punish hospitals, drug stores and other
healthcare providers that charge Medicare or Medicaid substantially more
than their usual charges to private insurers”. It goes on to say that “usual
charges” are defined as the average amount we are paid by insurers and
patients and that “substantially more” is defined as 20% more. The secretary
of health and human services has approved the policy.
Can anyone shed some light on implementation and enforcement of this new
policy?
Don Dixon, CPO
