Health Insurers May Drop Concierge Care Physicians
Physicians who practice concierge care may run the risk of being dropped by health insurers.
Concierge care physicians typically charge an annual retainer for patients, who then receive more personal care such as house calls and increased access to the physician. Some stop accepting insurance, while others try to pair concierge care with insurance reimbursement.
Two national insurers who operate in Pennsylvania have said they will not work with physicians who run concierge practices, which includes a few doctors in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s practice economics and payer relations staff.
United Healthcare said it plans to drop some physicians who practice concierge care, while Cigna said concierge care is in violation of its contract but did not say whether it planned to drop any physicians.
Other major health insurers, including Aetna and Humana, say concierge care is fine as long as patients are informed that the insurer will not reimburse for the retainer.
Last Updated: 4/8/2008