Auditor General DePasquale Challenges UPMC, Highmark to Open Hospitals to All Insurers
Auditor General DePasquale Challenges UPMC, Highmark to Open Hospitals to All Insurers
PITTSBURGH (May 8, 2013) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today issued the following statement on the ongoing battle between UPMC and Highmark:
“I challenge UPMC and Highmark to open their health care facilities to all insurance carriers to improve access to health care in Western Pennsylvania and reduce costs by fostering competition. Pittsburgh has world-class hospitals that have been supported with public funds through grants and tax exemptions. Therefore, not a single person should be denied access to the care they need because of the health insurance they carry.
“I was shocked by the heart-wrenching stories people told at last week’s House Policy Committee hearing on denial of care to people in the Community Blue insurance plan. That anyone could be denied access to care is completely unacceptable. The hearing raised very serious concerns about the need to improve health care access and increase competition in Western Pennsylvania.
“Rising health care costs are nothing new, but with the entry of Highmark into the provider market there’s an opportunity to bring costs down. But, we need both UPMC and Highmark to do what’s in the best interest of consumers and accept patients with other health insurance coverage.
“This is about more than health care, it’s about jobs and economic growth. Keeping health care costs lower helps businesses reduce costs, expand their workforce and boost the local economy.
“The UPMC versus Highmark battle must stop because there are no winners when two health care giants go to war.”
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