These Employers Took On Healthcare Costs, and the Fight Got Nasty: Indiana group’s bruising battle for legislation to limit hospital fees is spurring employer groups in other states to follow suit
By Anna Wilde Mathews
Sept. 28, 2023 5:30 am ET
A bruising battle over hospital costs in Indiana previews a growing trend: Employers are sick of the ever-rising price of healthcare, and they are ready to do something about it.
The fight started with the simple goal of helping Indiana employers learn what they were spending on hospital services received by their workers. Gloria Sachdev, who is chief executive officer of the Employers’ Forum of Indiana, launched research that produced a stunning takeaway: They paid the most out of all the states studied.
“Employers were mad,” said Sachdev. “Literally pounding-on-the-table mad: ‘This is ridiculous. We’ve got to do something about this.’ ”
A drive for legislation, ultimately supported by companies including the engine maker Cummins and Chrysler’s parent, Stellantis turned into a brawl. An employer-backed group targeted patients’ phones with digital ads about high prices when they visited hospitals. Hospitals warned of cuts to crucial medical services and government price fixing. There was cursing.
The resulting law, passed by Republican lawmakers with bipartisan support, contained significant actions for tackling high healthcare costs.
Corporate giants from Amazon to CVS are investing billions in primary-care practices. It is part of a sweeping shift in U.S. healthcare to a more value-based model. Here is what that means for doctors, patients and health insurers.
Now the Indiana campaign—and Sachdev, who testified in Congress earlier this year—is getting attention well beyond the state.
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Read the full article: https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/these-employers-took-on-healthcare-costs-and-the-fight-got-nasty-54674114
Wilde Mathews, Anna. These Employers Took On Healthcare Costs, and the Fight Got Nasty. The Wall Street Journal. Healthcare. 28 September 2023. 12 Oct 2023.