A state panel has approved a range of changes for next year for the rapidly growing subsidized health insurance program in Massachusetts. The changes will probably cut payments to doctors and hospitals, reduce choices for patients, and possibly increase how much patients have to pay.
The American Hospital Association says that a letter recently sent to presidential candidates about specialty hospitals is "all fiction, no facts." In response, the AHA and the Iowa Hospital Association sent their own letter to the candidates that says limited-service facilities drive up the nation's healthcare costs and threaten to dismantle vital community resources for patients.
Simi Valley (CA) Hospital has terminated its state contract to accept Medi-Cal patients and will now treat such patients only on an emergency or outpatient basis. The state's Medi-Cal reimbursement rate was too low, so the 153-bed hospital ended its contract, said hospital representatives.
California's top insurance regulator has accused Blue Shield of 1,262 violations of claims-handling laws and regulations that resulted in more than 200 people losing their medical coverage. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is seeking a $12.6-million fine.
A fight in Georgia over the state's healthcare regulations has erupted again this week. The standoff largely pits Gov. Sonny Perdue, who backs an overhaul of state healthcare regulations, against House leaders. The fight also renews the long-running legal and lobbyist battle between hospitals and general surgeons over the right to open surgery facilities.
High-cost and high-volume conditions helped drive the national hospital bill up 7 percent in 2005, to $873 billion. The record high nearly doubled 1997 spending when adjusted for inflation, according to a report from the federal Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.