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Tiered health plans cutting costs, restricting options

By Robert Weisman and Chelsea Conaboy

 |  Globe Staff  

  November 28, 2011

The popularity of health insurance plans that limit where patients can receive care is on the rise. Advocates say they can help stem the rising cost of health insurance by directing patients to lower-cost hospitals. But some more expensive hospitals say patients on tiered or limited network plans can be denied the specialized care they provide, and are sometimes sent to lower-cost providers with less experience in critical areas such as pediatric and cancer care.

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