Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital officials have sent bills totaling $75 million to Georgia counties for services that were provided to their residents but went unpaid. Some counties have taken the request seriously, but others suspect the move is a publicity stunt or part of a strategy to entice more dollars for Grady from the state government. The hospital sent the bills to about 100 counties. According to Grady, Cobb County owes $10 million, Gwinnett County owes $12.6 million, and Clayton County owes $13 million.
At least 25 states have enacted or proposed cuts in health-insurance programs for the poor, potentially leaving millions of patients with reduced levels of care or no coverage at all. The cuts come as states are making moves to close record budget deficits while facing increased demand for services. Across the country, states have pared services under Medicaid, and 12 states have also targeted the State Children's Health Insurance Program, said a report to be released by Families USA. The group estimates that more than 250,000 people will lose care because of cuts already enacted and proposed cuts could affect millions more.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors heard nearly four hours of public testimony as hundreds of public health patients, nurses, and advocates urged legislators to stave off huge service cuts by asking voters to approve new taxes. But the supervisors put off a vote that would have scheduled a controversial election for June 2 and also delayed a decision on a number of proposed alternative cuts that are meant to save some health services. The city is facing a $576 million shortfall in the next fiscal year, in addition to the $118 million hole for this fiscal year.
Nashville companies are on the leading edge of one of the significant concepts being touted as a major tenet of health reform.
Healthcare delivery has long been organized in micro systems that tend to function effectively in their own specialized universes. Earlier this year, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Kerry Weems referred to these healthcare micro systems as "silos in healthcare," and announced a demonstration project to bring about a single, comprehensive payment to cover a bundle of services. CMS announced five major health systems had been selected to participate in the project to explore the concept.
Two of the participants are owned by Ardent Health Services of Nashville.
The Senate defeated an effort by Republicans to make it harder for states to extend government-sponsored health insurance to children of legal immigrants. By voice vote, senators rejected an amendment that would have required states to extend health coverage to the vast majority of other low-income children first before covering legal immigrants. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said that if states covered 95 percent of children already eligible for government-sponsored coverage, only then would his amendment allow them to insure children of newly arrived legal immigrants.
California insurers are discriminating against women by charging them more for individual health insurance than men, the city of San Francisco maintained in a lawsuit filed against the state regulators who govern them. The suit contends that Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and Cindy Ehnes, director of the Department of Managed Health Care, approved a system that allows the insurance companies to impose "gender rating" when pricing policies. The ratings resulted in women paying as much as 39% more for coverage then men.