With health law, less-easy access in N.H. : Lone insurer in plan reduces roster of hospitals to keep premiums low

The Boston Globe reports:

To keep premiums affordable, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the only carrier in New Hampshire’s new insurance marketplace, radically reduced the number of hospitals in its network, negotiating lower rates with in-network hospitals in exchange for the assurance that they would benefit from an influx of new patients.

Of the state’s 26 hospitals, 10 are excluded from Anthem’s network, including Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital, a 16-bed facility 15 miles from the Canadian border that serves the largest geographic area in New Hampshire and the state’s riskiest patient population.

The hospital in Concord, the state capital, has also been shut out. And Sullivan County, which spans some of the state’s most economically depressed towns, has no hospital in the network.

#ObamaCare.