A study has found that the administrative costs and profits of health maintenance organizations in the Milwaukee area were roughly in line with those of other metropolitan areas in the Midwest. However, healthcare costs are higher in the Milwaukee area simply because hospitals and doctors charge more for their services, according to the study.
Progress East, an Illinois-based affiliate of BJC Healthcare, has bought a 111-acre property in Shiloh, IL. The hospital system has no plans for the site, but BJC described the purchase as a long-term investment that will allow it to be ready for growth in the area. The purchase comes after a yearlong analysis of the population trends and the accompanying demand for healthcare services.
More than 700 residents and hospital employees crowded into a Newark, NJ, church to protest the recently announced plans to close the 107-year-old Saint James Hospital. The rally was the second since officials of the Cathedral Healthcare System approved an agreement that calls for closing Saint James and Columbus Hospital, both of which have been struggling financially.
Although Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater, MN, has long been a community facility, the 73-bed hospital is positioning itself to become a regional health center due to growth internally and externally. To prepare for a major expansion, hospital officials want a change from their current residential zoning status so they can more easily make changes to the building.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's $14 billion healthcare expansion bill is set to movet to the state Senate, where it will face an extended hearing and the likelihood of a close vote in the Health Committee. The legislation would require employers to spend a certain percentage of their payrolls on health coverage for their workers.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards all agree that Americans of all ages should have the choice of buying a government-run plan modeled on Medicare. The idea is one of the most far-reaching and controversial proposals for making health insurance more affordable and more widely available to U.S. residents.