Hundreds of thousands of Iowans with health insurance are shouldering heavy additional out-of-pocket costs for their healthcare, according to a report from Families USA. The extra money has to be paid out for premiums, co-pays, deductibles, prescription drugs, medical supplies and other expenses not covered by insurance.
After the Naperville (IL) City Council approved the creation of a health services district, Edward Hospital is now a step closer to building an addition with 175 to 200 new inpatient beds. The expansion is needed to keep up with projected population increases in the region, and to maintain the high level of care, say hospital officials.
New York lawmaker Richard N. Gottfried has proposed that the state create a $59 billion health insurance program that would cover everyone in the state and would probably be paid for through a tax increase.
Health insurance costs can vary by as much as 26% among different metropolitan areas within the state, according to an analysis by Citizen Action, a coalition of labor unions and grass-roots groups.
Comprehensive women's health care will no longer be available in Jefferson County next year if full ownership of Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge is transferred as planned to a Catholic health organization, according to critics of the plan.
An expected vote on legislation overhauling California's $170 billion healthcare system has been postponed indefinitely. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders continue to disagree on elements of the plan from tax subsidies to insurance reform.