Health insurers, providers nurse bottom line

It appears that the wrestling match being waged between managed-care companies and health care providers for control of health care dollars will continue in 1999.As insurers continue to raise premium rates and squeeze reimbursement levels to more closely match the cost of care, providers will continue to look for ways to cut costs and negotiate better deals in order to save their bottom lines.”(Managed-care) companies priced their products to grow,´ said Neil Westergaard , spokesman for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado. “But that wasn’t enough to cover costs of pharmaceuticals, new technology and the demands of providers for reimbursements,…