Federal researchers reported on Tuesday that the number of Americans without health insurance had declined substantially in the first quarter of this year, the first federal measure of the number of uninsured Americans since the Affordable Care Act extended coverage to millions of people in January. The number of uninsured Americans fell by about 8 percent to 41 million people in the first quarter of this year, compared with 2013, a drop that represented about 3.8 million people and that roughly matched what experts were expecting based on polling by private groups, like Gallup. The survey also measured physical health but found little evidence of change.
For-profit health systems operating in states with expanded Medicaid have shown significantly improved financial returns throughout the first half of the year, a new report shows. The report, issued by Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, analyzed financial data from the nation's five largest for-profit health systems: HCA Holdings Inc., which owns hospitals in the Kansas City region, LifePoint Hospitals Inc., Tenet Healthcare Corp., Community Health Systems Inc. and Universal Health Services Inc. Those hospitals all saw a decrease in uninsured patients and an increase in patients with Medicaid, which had a positive effect on the hospitals' bottom lines.
The Obama administration announced Monday it will cut off tax subsidies to about 360,000 people if they do not offer proof of their income in the next two weeks. Officials will send final notices this week to individuals who signed up for ObamaCare with income levels that didn't match government records. The announcement marks the administration's first move to tackle the politically charged issue of income verification, which has remained a key GOP argument against the healthcare reform law. Those who don't confirm their income levels could lose their tax credit and face higher premiums and higher deductibles.
The severe respiratory virus believed to have sickened hundreds of U.S. children in Midwestern and Western states has now spread to the Northeast, health officials report. The New York State Department of Health confirmed on Friday more than a dozen cases of infection with Enterovirus D68, which sometimes requires hospitalization, especially for children with asthma. And on Saturday, the Connecticut Department of Public Health said it had received reports from two hospitals in different parts of the state of clusters of severe respiratory illness among young children that could be due to Enterovirus D68.
Six plaintiffs are suing six Mississippi hospitals and their parent company, alleging the facilities did not properly secure sensitive patient information. The complaint, filed Sept. 11 in federal court in the Southern District of Mississippi, says the plaintiffs were patients at the hospitals, and are at increased risk of identity theft because identifying information was made available to "thieves and hackers." The hospitals listed as defendants are Central Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, River Region Medical Center in Vicksburg, Madison River Oaks Hospital in Canton, Crossgates River Oaks Hospital in Brandon, River Oaks Hospital in Flowood and Natchez Community Hospital.
Early detection has long been seen as a powerful weapon in the battle against cancer. But some experts now see it as double-edged sword. While it's clear that early-stage cancers are more treatable than late-stage ones, some leading cancer experts say that zealous screening and advanced diagnostic tools are finding ever-smaller abnormalities in prostate, breast, thyroid and other tissues. Many are being labeled cancer or precancer and treated aggressively, even though they may never have caused harm. As a result, these experts say, many people may be undergoing surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and other treatments unnecessarily, sometimes with lifelong side effects. [Subscription Required]