SPOTLIGHT: AHA to WellPoint CEO: Premium increases 'exceed growth' in healthcare costs

In a letter sent to WellPoint President and CEO Angela Braly on Tuesday, American Hospital Association President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock took issue with Braly's statement that provider consolidation was primary reason for increasing healthcare premiums. "Recent national data suggests that rising utilization and cost increases in labor, medical technologies and other supplies are driving up hospital costs, not consolidation," wrote Umbdenstock. He goes on to say that premium increases, in fact, are "exceeding the growth in underlying healthcare costs." View the letter

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