
Blue Daily
Articles

Should We Pay Hospitals for Results or Volume?
- The fee-for-service model floods the health care system with high-cost care, fragmented experiences and outcomes that don’t always match the price tag.
- Instead of paying higher prices for greater volume, we need to align how hospitals are paid with the outcomes they deliver.
- Moving hospitals into value-based payment models means evolving toward a system that pays for what works and rewards providers for keeping people healthy.

What Does Hospital Consolidation Mean for the Price of Your Health Insurance and Access?
- Health systems say consolidation allows them to improve efficiency and quality, but research shows it rarely saves patients money or improves outcomes.
- When health systems consolidate, they gain leverage — and they may use that leverage to raise prices.
- We need hospitals to adopt a better model of payment that rewards outcomes, not the volume of services provided. The value-based care model represents a solution.

Survey: Michigan Small Businesses Can’t Afford to Hire New Employees, Invest in Resources Due to Rising Health Care Costs
- A recent survey revealed 76% of small businesses struggle to hire due to health care costs and 83% said these costs impact investment in other business areas.
- Hospital and prescription drug costs significantly outpace the current 2.3% inflation rate, hindering health insurance affordability for small businesses, according to the survey.
- Experts advocate for a shift to value-based care, focusing on patient outcomes rather than the current fee-for-service model.