#ncpol: Vidant Medical picking a fight with state treasurer

How smart is that when you are trying to get the man to approve your merger with ECU Physicians? (Seriously.)

Vidant Medical Group — the biggest dog in Eastern North Carolina for healthcare delivery — is throwing down the gauntlet in the direction of state treasurer Dale Folwell.  Check this out from the Facebook page for one of their properties:

Let’s see —  a whole lot of exaggeration with a sprinkling of falsehood.  Where to begin?  Okay.  Vidant is prepared  to shell out nearly $500 million to buy ECU Physicians.  So, they’re apparently not all that concerned about a looming income shortfall. 

Folwell has made the reasonable argument time and again — if you want to do business with the state health plan, you need to tell the state what you’re billing the state and its health plan members.  The state treasurer is also taking the, um, *draconian* position that hospital billings for the state health plan be capped at a maximum markup of seventy-seven percent (77%).  

Seriously.  Show of hands — who out there in business would be upset if your customers told you that they were okay with you charging them a 77% markup on your services? 

Vidant was a major player in pushing that bill seeking a limit on Folwell’s powers as treasurer.  *It’s amazing how it ran out of gas and died a quick death after we shed some sunlight on it.* 

Folks like Vidant want things left as they are.  According to Folwell’s office, the state health plan will run out of money in 2023 if nothing new is done.  The burden of fixing that fiasco will be shared by ALL  taxpayers — not just state employees.

Turn the tables on Vidant.  Let them know they need to switch gears and work with Folwell to fix the state health plan.