Dive Brief:
- An investigation by Watchdog.org has concluded that premium caps required under the Affordable Care Act will drive some of the country's top doctors and hospitals out of the plans sold on the health exchanges.
- Some hospitals say that providing care under the terms of ACA policies will cost more than the facility would get paid.
- Researchers have found that the Cleveland Clinic will accept only one of insurance plans offered under the ACA, and 11 out of 18 top ranked hospitals accept just one or two carriers on the exchange.
Dive Insight:
If you thought the biggest problem the ACA rollout would face is a balky Web site, think again. With participating health plans shrinking away from the "best" -- or at least the costliest -- hospitals and doctors, the ACA will effectively have created a second, lower tier of enrollment for those buying through the exchanges. And once consumers become aware that they may be forced to buy a second-class policy, you'll hear an outcry which makes the complaints over Healthcare.gov's crash look like nothing. Brace yourself: This is going to get ugly.