LSU sent a collection letter this week to the research foundation running its hospitals in Monroe and Shreveport, saying the foundation owes the university system $25.3 million and accusing it of using LSU like its "personal piggy bank." The Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana, known as BRF, took control of the two hospitals in October 2013, as part of Gov. Bobby Jindal's push to privatize most of the university-run public hospital system. In a blistering, two-page letter obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, the university says the foundation, which is operating the two hospitals as University Health, hasn't assumed the financial obligations required under its contract, despite taking over hospital management 10 months ago.
Eva Bermudez was one of nearly 300 people tasked with helping the uninsured get covered as Obamacare rolled out last fall. Her job might have seemed easy compared to those of her counterparts. An organizer with the union CSEA SEIU Local 2001, Bermudez focused her efforts on union members, many of whom had technological experience, Internet access and the ability to sign up for coverage online or by telephone. Even so, they came to her for help. She described her experiences to the exchange's board Thursday, imploring state officials to make the same type of in-person assistance available this fall, when the next round of open enrollment for health care coverage under Obamacare begins.
The pace of growth in Los Angeles County emergency room visits slowed in the early months of Obamacare, according to state records that offer a first local look at a key objective of the healthcare overhaul. During the first three months of expanded health insurance coverage required by the federal Affordable Care Act, emergency room visits by patients who didn't require hospitalization increased 1.7% in the county compared with the same period last year, a Los Angeles Times analysis of data from 75 hospitals shows. Annual ER visits in the county had increased 3% last year and 5% in 2011 and 2012.
Kynect. Maryland Health Connection. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange. Every one of those state insurance exchanges added new carriers in preparation for Obamacare's second open enrollment period this fall. Covered California did not. Instead, the Golden State took a different approach: Its exchange is getting smaller. Dwindling Participation. Diminished Returns? When Covered California unveiled its initial slate of 13 carriers last year, their low rates got some attention -- but so did their mix. While Covered California couldn't boast Aetna or UnitedHealthcare, which instead elected to leave the state's individual market, four major insurers were on board: Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Health Net and Kaiser Permanente.
A Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled Thursday that Steward Health Care System has no right to review the reporting or records collected by The Boston Globe for a yet-to-be-published article about a man's journey through the mental health care system. Judge Jeffrey Locke said the for-profit health care company may comment broadly to the newspaper and answer limited questions on the patient's care without violating medical privacy laws. Steward, in a suit filed against the Globe Wednesday, asked the court to permit release of the patient's private medical records, which the company said it needed to rebut a Globe story that is scheduled to be published this weekend.
When it comes to complete health care, access is key. A new health clinic has set up inside a public housing complex near Flint's southeast side to bring holistic care to an under-served population, according to The Flint Journal It's the second Genesee Community Health Center to open as a primary care provider for residents who wouldn't normally have care, or at least the care would not be easily accessible, said Linda Bielskis, executive director of Genesee Community Health Center. The center would provide care to the 240 residents at the Atherton East Complex, along with nearby neighborhoods. It's more than just being there when they are sick, she said.