D.C. gains construction jobsThe District enjoyed the biggest percentage increase in construction jobs in the nation last month.
The Associated General Contractors of America says the construction work force in D.C. grew by 600 in February, or 5.8 percent, from the month before. Construction jobs in D.C. were up by 1,500, or nearly 16 percent, from a year earlier.
The number of construction jobs rose last month in 30 states, including Maryland and Virginia.
Maryland added 1,000 new construction jobs, while Virginia added 1,600. The two states combined have added 12,700 construction jobs in the past year.
Federal investigation touches CareFirst
CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the Washington region’s dominant health insurer, has been included in a federal investigation into a controversial contracting tactic that effectively guarantees the lowest price available but critics say drives up health care costs. Depending on where the investigation and a pending lawsuit in Michigan leads, the federal developments could make it more difficult for CareFirst to maintain its market share.
CareFirst spokesman Kevin Kane confirmed the Justice Department has filed a civil investigative request for documents from the Owings Mills, Md., nonprofit, a development first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
According to the Journal, CareFirst is caught up in a widening probe of insurance plans in several states, as the Obama administration takes a closer look at “most-favored nation” clauses in their reimbursement contracts with health care systems.
In 2010, the Justice Department sued Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan, calling its most-favored nation clause anti-competitive. Essentially, the administration argues, the contracts allow hospitals to raise rates as long as the increase is greater for Blue Cross/Blue Shield competitors.
CareFirst has such an arrangement with the D.C.-owned United Medical Center, according to audited financial statements released by D.C. government on March 25, and controls a large enough piece of the market in parts of the D.C. area to insist on it.
