Steward Health Care to market its own insurance

Hospital operator Steward Health Care System, which has recently been buying up hospitals in Massachusetts, will soon be entering the insurance market. State regulators on Monday approved Steward Community Choice, in which plan members would be largely limited to providers at Steward hospitals and affiliated physicians, reports the Patriot Ledger. Steward, which will partner with Tufts Health Plan, will offer incentives for businesses with 2012 premiums that will be 15 percent to 30 percent below the Tufts HMO rates. Creating a limited network is part of Steward's financial strategy to attract more business to its hospitals, positioning them as a lower-cost alternative to competing hospitals. Article