Idaho insurers say stay in network or pay 6 figures

BOISE — Idaho health insurers are getting tough about patients sticking to their networks — the group of hospitals, doctors and clinics that come with certain insurance plans. Hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars tough.

Most of the plans that go up for sale Nov. 1 on the Your Health Idaho insurance exchange will have much higher “out of network” costs than Idaho consumers have seen before. Insurers say the changes are less damaging than their alternative: dropping out of Idaho’s exchange altogether, as some insurers have done in other states.

Idaho’s top insurance regulator calls the changes “concerning and certainly somewhat problematic.” But they are legal.

“It’s become extremely important that consumers look very carefully at their plan — first to determine if their provider of choice is in-network, and if he or she is not, they should consider whether or not they should change plans,” said state Department of Insurance Director Dean Cameron. “And they should look very carefully at what that might mean to them financially.”

Read more: http://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/idaho-insurers-say-stay-in-network-or-pay-figures/article_cf6d483f-22fd-5398-bd66-b7deacdeaabf.html