WASHINGTON—The Obama administration has launched a probe into whether health-care providers such as dialysis centers are steering patients eligible for Medicare and Medicaid benefits into insurance plans offered on the health law's exchanges.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday said it sent warning letters to all dialysis centers that participate in the federal Medicare program. The agency also said it is weighing financial penalties on providers who are found to have directed people eligible for Medicare into Affordable Care Act plans instead.
“We are concerned about reports that some organizations may be engaging in enrollment activities that put their profit margins ahead of their patients' needs,” said CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt in a news release.
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