News From Around the Web
> North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper wants Blue Cross Blue Shield to explain a recent "system failure" that has led to pervasive billing issues for customers, according to a letter obtained by ABC's Eyewitness News 11. Article
> In the past, there's been evidence that simply the threat of government intervention to control rising drug costs can have an effect on prices, according to a post on the New York Times blog The Upshot. And that may happen again given the ongoing debate about pharmaceutical prices, the post argues. Blog post
> The practice of customers only buying Affordable Care Act coverage when they become sick or injured "poses an existential threat to the exchange marketplaces," argues an opinion piece from BloombergView. Opinion piece
Healthcare News
> A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Oncology finds that terminal cancer patients who receive pain management consultations and other palliative care in the emergency department have a significantly better quality of life than patients who do not. Furthermore, their survival rates are not significantly shorter. Article
Health Finance News
> A labor-based ballot initiative could cap hospital prices in Massachusetts if approved by voters, Commonwealth Magazine has reported. The initiative would mandate any health insurer doing business in the state limit reimbursements to providers to no more than 20 percent above or 10 percent below "the carrier-specific average relative price for that service." Article
And finally… Snow way! Article