A campaign that claims support from Michigan labor and religious groups, the AARP and Lt. Gov. John Cherry plans to launch a petition drive to ask Michigan voters to approve statewide, universal healthcare.
Unlike other presidential candidates who want to control obesity and smoking to cut health care costs, Republican candidate Ron Paul said he would not promote preventive medicine and instead provide more choices for patients.
Connecticut-based Aetna's preferred provider plans have been granted full accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The private nonprofit organization reviews health plans on access to and quality of care, claims payment and customer service.
After more than a year of negotiations, the University of Kansas Hospital, University of Kansas Medical Center and Kansas University Physicians Inc. have reached a new affliliation agreement. The five-year deal was approved by the KU Hospital Authority Board, and calls for the hospital to increase its support for the medical center and the physicians group from about $31 million during the current fiscal year to more than $46 million next year.
Despite the need for more doctors in rural areas, a hospital that serves workers and their families in Eastern Washington farm country could fall victim to a crackdown on boutique hospitals that cater to the urban rich. Wenatchee Valley is one of a handful of doctor-owned hospitals nationally that face a substantial loss in money to treat their poorest patients amid a push to curb Medicare payments to such hospitals with specialized services only.
Cases in which doctors were accused of botching operations while undergoing treatment for drugs or alcohol have led to criticism of rehab programs that allow thousands of U.S. physicians to keep their addictions hidden from their patients.