The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Monday Newark-based Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey must disclose documents detailing how it selected hospitals for its discount tier health plans, NJ.com reports.
Republican Gov. Chris Christie approved Horizon BCBS of New Jersey's Omnia tiered network health plans in September 2015. To control spending, the plans offered members reduced prices for using preferred, or Tier 1, medical providers.
A group of seven hospitals considered Tier 2 facilities filed a lawsuit to overturn the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance's approval in December 2015, arguing the network plans force consumers to pay more to use Tier 2 facilities.
While the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision does not determine the merit of the lawsuits, it mandates Horizon to hand over a report done by consultant McKinsey & Company and other related documents. This includes written agreements with Tier 1 hospitals, the report states.
Horizon's documents will not be publicly released, State Superior Court Judge Frank Ciuffani said. Horizon argued the information is proprietary and confidential, NJ.com reports.
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