A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by hospital chain Prime Healthcare Services that alleged Kaiser Permanente conspired with a health care workers union to drive Prime out of business. The lawsuit cited the Sherman Antitrust Act, which is meant to limit monopolies, and claimed Kaiser and the union "joined forces" to drive up Prime's costs, in part, by forcing the chain to pay high wages to workers. Judge Janis L. Sammartino filed an order granting Kaiser’s motion to dismiss Prime’s complaint Aug. 30. The order says the facts stated in Prime's complaint did not support an antitrust lawsuit.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt asked a federal judge Wednesday to block the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate in the state and prevent the federal government from collecting the law's taxes or distributing its subsidies here. The filing in federal court in the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee substantially revises Pruitt's 2011 lawsuit in the wake of a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found the law to be substantially constitutional. Although the new filing continues to argue that the Oklahoma Constitution legally prohibits an individual mandate to buy health insurance, it also brings forward a new argument—that IRS rules to implement the law can't be applied in the state because of the law's own language.
U.S. budget experts raised their forecast yesterday of how many Americans will probably have to pay a penalty in 2016 for not buying health insurance to 6 million from 4 m illion. The 50 percent increase likely will draw fire from Republicans on the campaign trail who want to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law and who reject the penalty as a government intrusion into the lives of individuals. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said some of the increase reflects state opposition to an expansion under the healthcare law of the Medicaid program for the poor, which is most unpopular in states with Republican governors or Republican-majority legislatures.
Enrollment in private Medicare plans offered by insurers led by UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) is expected to surge 11 percent in 2013, the U.S. government said, while premiums may increase an average of 4.7 percent. About a quarter of Medicare’s 49 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries are enrolled in Advantage plans, in which insurers are paid a fixed monthly fee to provide services. Some of the plans offer benefits not available in the traditional Medicare program, such as discounts for gym memberships and eyeglasses.
A University of Florida physician and colleagues have "mythbusted" a notion long held in medical circles: patients at teaching hospitals fare worse in July when new medical graduates start their residency training and older residents take on more responsibilities. A large national study revealed no such "July phenomenon" or "July effect"—at least not in the field of neurosurgery. The findings are published today in the journal Neurosurgery. Previous studies of the July phenomenon in fields such as general surgery, obstetrics, gynecology and internal medicine have yielded inconsistent results, some finding an effect and others finding none. One earlier study of pediatric neurosurgery found no effect, whereas another study found a small effect.
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic plans to announce an affiliation Wednesday with NorthShore University HealthSystem, which operates four hospitals in the northern suburbs. The multiyear agreement, scheduled to begin Oct. 1, will give NorthShore physicians fast access to Mayo specialists and research targeting three areas of care: cardiovascular, cancer and neurological cases. NorthShore, a nonprofit that owns hospitals in Evanston, Glenview, Skokie and Highland Park, said the partnership will allow it to better treat existing patients, expand its patient base and enhance its expertise in complex cases.