Ramanathan Raju, MD, CEO of Cook County Health & Hospitals System in Chicago, wants to sell a health plan within the healthcare reform law's insurance marketplace because it could bring in some "much-needed revenue," according to a Crain's Chicago Business report.
Although Dr. Raju said the plan is risky, he believes the public safety-net system, based in the heart of Chicago, needs to keep pace with the changing reimbursement schemes within Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payors.
Initially, the health system would expand CountyCare, which is a CMS-approved program that enables Cook County Health & Hospitals to enroll 115,000 low-income beneficiaries into the program before the healthcare law's Medicaid expansion goes live in 2014.
Within five years, Dr. Raju told Crain's that the program and health plan would be offered to all the health system's patients via Illinois' health insurance marketplace.
Although Dr. Raju said the plan is risky, he believes the public safety-net system, based in the heart of Chicago, needs to keep pace with the changing reimbursement schemes within Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payors.
Initially, the health system would expand CountyCare, which is a CMS-approved program that enables Cook County Health & Hospitals to enroll 115,000 low-income beneficiaries into the program before the healthcare law's Medicaid expansion goes live in 2014.
Within five years, Dr. Raju told Crain's that the program and health plan would be offered to all the health system's patients via Illinois' health insurance marketplace.
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