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The cost of a trip to the emergency room will, in some cases, double in the new year for members of Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente Health Plans.
As of Feb. 1, all contracts renewed with Regence will require a $100 co-pay for emergency room visits, twice the current co-pay of $50, said spokesman Ken Strobeck. The fee is waived for patients admitted to the hospital. ,
An estimated 700,000 members would be affected by the fee increase, he said.
"This was done in order to decrease utilization and ensure there was appropriate use of the emergency room," Strobeck said.
Employers and health plans are behind the increase in co-payments, as they grapple with ways to control rising medical costs and share the costs with employees.
Reducing emergency room use for less serious emergencies helps keep the premiums lower for patients and employers,...