CALPERS: San Francisco Chronicle Praises Direct Contracting Proposal
An editorial in today's San Francisco Chronicle notes that "leaders of the California Public Employees Retirement System are broaching an intriguing idea." According to CalPERS health benefits administrator Margaret Stanley, the agency is "considering curbing the considerable power of" HMOs, possibly by "ending HMOs' rights to unilaterally raise the prices they charge for prescriptions" (see CHL 3/23). The plan would also pay "bigger fees" to physicians "who provide the highest quality care." According to the Chronicle, the "current system, in which the state is forced to set medical care policy because of widespread dissatisfaction with current HMO policies, is unacceptable. Well-thought-out alternatives will be gratefully considered" (3/24).
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