Residents of the greater Miami area say cost is their biggest healthcare concern and find information about the cost and other aspects of healthcare coverage to be complex and confusing, according to a poll. Those polled gave mixed reviews to the quality of healthcare in the Miami area, but most are satisfied with their own healthcare.
Blue Cross of California has halted its practice of asking physicians in a letter to look for medical conditions that could be used to cancel patients' insurance coverage. The insurer had sent physicians copies of insurance applications filled out by new patients, along with the letter advising them the company had a right to drop members who failed to disclose "material medical history." Physicians, patients, privacy experts and officials criticized the move, and urged Blue Cross to stop the practice.
Rhode Island's lieutenant governor has unveiled a healthcare plan that puts as much emphasis on slowing soaring costs as it does on providing universal coverage. The plan, acknowledges that Rhode Island cannot afford to insure all its residents unless it can deliver healthcare more efficiently and raise money through a tax on businesses that do not provide coverage. Experts say that Rhode Island's proposal is part of a trend among states to take a slower approach that addresses costs first, or at least simultaneously with access.
The Colorado Senate has approved a resolution which proposes to give all Colorado children access to healthcare by 2010. The resolution sets a goal of covering roughly 180,000 Colorado kids without insurance, but provides no details on how the state will achieve that goal. Some senators expressed strong concerns about making a pledge that may set unrealistic expectations.
A plan to provide health insurance coverage for all Minnesotans through a government run program has been advanced by the state's DFL legislators. The Minnesota Health Plan was touted as the most effective way to transfer savings resulting from lower insurance overhead and other costs to provide coverage for an estimated 400,000 uninsured state residents. Spokespeople for Gov. Tim Pawlenty, however, said the governor is opposed to government-run healthcare and is working with a bi-partisan task force on other plans.
Boynton Beach, FL-based Bethesda Memorial Hospital's new heart institute is a $57 million endeavor that brings Palm Beach County its fifth open-heart surgery program. With open-heart surgery a lucrative procedure and cardiovascular disease the No. 1 killer in the United States, centers such as Bethesda's are highly coveted. Bethesda officials expect to perform about 150 open-heart surgeries in the program's first year, and seven surgeries were done during the institute's first week alone.