Lower than expected costs and enrollment will allow Minnesota to delay for a month the end of a medical program that now cares for about 36,000 of the state's poorest and sickest residents, Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced. The delay, until April 1, will give the Legislature extra time to forge an agreement with the governor on a plan to save the program, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. About 28,000 of those on General Assistance Medical Care are scheduled to transfer to MinnesotaCare, a program with less coverage that was designed for lower-income working people.
A Miami man who used his chain of Medicare clinics to commit fraud and exported the business to other Southern states was sentenced in federal court to 22 years in prison. The organization run by Michel De Jesus Huarte expanded to Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina by using empty storefronts and post office boxes, according to an indictment. Huarte and his associates, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and other fraud charges last year, collected about $25 million from the federal healthcare program, the Miami Herald reports.
Wayne S. DeVeydt, WellPoint's executive vice president and chief financial officer, told the Wall Street Journal Health Blog that employers are increasingly willing to consider allowing the insurer to drop a hospital from its local network of providers if the hospital's rates can't be brought to an acceptable level and there are other options in the community. DeVeydt added that WellPoint is getting more support from employers if a hospital complains to state regulators that the insurer is not providing an adequate network for members. "We're trying to make sure that the regulator knows the consumer view isn't just the hospital view,” but also the employer's view, he told the Health Blog.
A new study has found more expensive co-payments for primary-care and specialty doctor visits were tied to more in-patient hospital time for elderly patients. The implication is that people avoided the doctor's office to save money, then ended up in the hospital when their problems were not detected or treated in their early stages. The apparent effect seemed stronger among people living in low-income areas, and for those with high blood pressure, diabetes, or a history of heart attack, among other groups, the Wall Street Journal Health Blog reports.
Rating agency Standard & Poor's lowered the debt rating on Boston Medical Center as the financially troubled hospital posted an operating loss of $24.5 million for the 12 months ending Sept. 30, its first in five years. Standard & Poor's cited the Massachusetts state government's reduced support for Boston Medical Center in a statement accompanying the downgrade, and warned that a further cut in the debt rating was a possibility. Reductions in state and federal aid were also cited by the hospital in its fiscal 2009 financial report to regulators, the Boston Globe reports.
Take Care Health Systems has contracted with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc. to cover services for members at all Take Care clinics in Florida. Take Care Health Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreen Co., has nearly 50 walk-in professional healthcare centers in select Walgreens stores in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. With the addition of the Florida Blues, 80% of insured individuals in Florida can visit a Take Care clinic for the cost of a normal co-payment or co-insurance amount, according to a release.