Thank you, Blue Cross!

As a small business owner, I get nervous when I receive the annual BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts envelope that says "Important Renewal Information Enclosed!"Last year our HMO rates increased 9.9%, and I was worried the increase would be in the double digits this year. But when I opened the envelope I found the increase would be only 4.0%! Oh, happy days!I'm not sure why the increase is so low. Has BCBS held down reimbursement rates? Is pay-for-performance working? Is disease management a factor? Maybe economies of scale in administration. Or were margins just too high? In any case, it's good news for us.