The goal is lofty: improve and expand health care for millions of Texans. But with billions of dollars at stake and the new project under way before the rules are even written, decisions made over the next few months are causing anxiety in many Harris County hospitals. The new rules—part of a complicated, first-of-its-kind project approved by the federal government—will determine who gets paid for providing charity care, and how much. Hospitals that historically received the most government reimbursement for charity care are not guaranteed to prosper under the new rules.
A Queens hospital has avoided a potentially disastrous strike after hammering out an 11th-hour deal with its nurses. Negotiations between staffers and Flushing Hospital Medical Center's sponsor, MediSys, came to a head last month when the nurses issued a 10-day strike warning after their health and pension benefits expired Dec. 31. Historically, management has issued temporary contract extensions throughout negotiations, though that courtesy was not extended to employees this time, union officials said. The walk out was set for Tuesday.
Can American doctors say "No" to an aggressive and high-tech treatment they're used to providing even when it turns out a less heroic and cheaper one works just as well? It's an important question. The affordability of American medical care in the future will depend, in part, on the ability of physicians to simplify and economize, which are two things they've never been good at. With national health expenditures amounting to $2.6 trillion a year—45 percent of it paid by government—prosperity and political stability may also be at stake.
State Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein responded Monday to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu's call for state leaders to rescind major cuts to mental health services for the poor and uninsured. The Louisiana State University System approved the changes Friday. In his letter and in public statements since LSU's decision, Greenstein puts responsibility for the bed closures and layoffs squarely on LSU. The university points to Jindal administration budget maneuvers earlier this year that, according to LSU, limited its access to federal money intended to cover "uncompensated care," the cost of treating patients who are under-insured or have no insurance.
Rhode Island Hospital's parent company paid its CEO $9.5 million in 2009, but the industry's top lobbyist says that doesn't mean Providence's hospitals can afford to start contributing money to the city budget. "You have to look at the role hospitals play in their community," Ed Quinlan, president of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, told WPRI.com on Thursday. "Executive compensation is determined by hospital boards based on the financial performance of the hospital, based on the financial stability of the hospital—there's multiple factors."
Advocates for health insurance reform are taking a dim view of a draft proposal for the state's health insurance exchange, saying it could keep the playing field tilted in favor of insurance companies and against consumers. Speaking at a conference call Friday, Antoinette Kraus, project director of Pennsylvania Health Access Network, a coalition of organizations supporting consumer-friendly health reform, said the draft proposal distributed by the state Insurance Department, if enacted, would not change the status quo. "They're using this as an opportunity to line the pockets of big business," said Kraus.