A 14-month pilot program at UCLA taps into the surplus of medical school graduates in Latin America and attempts to address the shortage of Spanish-speaking doctors in the United States. The program is privately-funded, and is seeking to expand enrollment.
Under a new agreement, New Jersey will offer low-cost health coverage for the children of families who lack insurance but who earn too much for government help. The agreement between the state and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey would make health insurance accessible for up to 60,000 children, Senator Joseph F. Vitale.
Acknowledging that too many people simply cannot obtain health insurance on their own, the insurance industry is proposing a series of steps the companies say would let more individuals obtain coverage. The proposals would make it harder for insurers to cancel policies or deny coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Under legislation that has passed in the Senate, physicians will get a six-month reprieve from a 10 percent rate cut when treating Medicare patients. Doctors had warned that a cut in reimbursement rates would lead to physicians taking on fewer new Medicare patients, but now they'll receive a 0.5 percent raise when they treat the elderly and disabled.
A new report compiled by the Trust for America's Health says that while many states have made progress in preparing for a potential public health disaster, much more needs to be done. In addition, representatives from the nonpartisan advocacy group say that cuts in federal funding for state and local preparedness programs "threaten the nation's safety."
The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation plans to announce that it is making a $1 million grant to the Indiana University School of Medicine to help fund the completion of a new medical simulation center.