A South Florida hospital that quietly chartered a plane and sent a seriously brain injured illegal immigrant back to Guatemala over the objections of his family and legal guardian did not act unreasonably, a jury ruled. Healthcare and immigration experts across the country have closely watched the court case. They say it underscores the dilemma facing hospitals with patients who require long-term care, are unable to pay and don't qualify for federal or state aid because of their immigration status.
In their first unified voice on the subject, Texas Medical Center leaders sent a message to Congress as it tries to reform America's troubled health care system: slow down. Many of the medical center's biggest names said the issue is too important to rush through legislation that could have unforeseen harmful consequences.
With the Obama administration's top domestic priority struggling in Congress, supporters and opponents of the healthcare proposals are focusing on the constituency that both sides agree has become pivotal to the debate: the majority of Americans who have health insurance and are generally satisfied with their care. Although polls have consistently shown that just over half of Americans think the healthcare system is in need of reform, a substantial majority say they are satisfied with their own insurance and care. Any hope of change will require their support, according to experts and advocates across the ideological spectrum.
The government spends an estimated $12 billion a year on "potentially preventable" readmissions for Medicare patients, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an independent congressional agency. U.S. leaders are trying to reduce such costs as they wrangle this week over how to retool the country's healthcare system. Lawmakers agree on the need to drive down readmissions, but not on how to do it.
As the debate in Washington heats up, Massachusetts healthcare and business executives warn that two goals of the Obama administration—expanding insurance coverage and controlling spending—may prove incompatible. And as Massachusetts strains to deal with the increasing costs of its successful healthcare program, they raise questions about who will pay for the projected $1 trillion cost on the federal level.
With House leaders struggling to reach agreement on healthcare legislation, a new hurdle has emerged: abortion. Some conservative Democrats are threatening to pull their support from the massive healthcare bill unless their concerns over potential federal funding of abortion procedures are met. They fear that the Obama administration will take advantage of an expanded government role in healthcare to increase the availability of abortions nationwide. Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to use the divisive issue to build opposition to the bill.