Cooper University Hospital serves those in need of trauma care from seven New Jersey counties. If you are critically injured anywhere from Cape May to Trenton, you'll be sent there. The trauma unit handled 2,846 cases in 2007, more than the units at Temple University Hospital, Hahnemann University Hospital, or the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, according to data provided by those hospitals.
New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has started sending subpoenas and document requests this month to colleges including Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown and several State University of New York campuses as part of an investigation of relationships between the colleges and health insurance companies that cover students. The investigation appears to be focused on the adequacy of disclosure of policy terms and costs to students. Investigators also appear to be looking into whether colleges are receiving any improper payments in exchange for requiring students to use a particular insurer.
Many small employers are facing markedly higher health premiums in 2009. Employers and health insurance brokers in the South, Midwest, and California report steeper increases in their annual renewal notices from health insurers. Some premium increases being quoted to employers are double those quoted just a few months ago.
The Oregon Legislature is reviewing a plan to regulate hospital prices and insurance company administrative costs, and raise cigarette and alcohol taxes to pay for public education and mental health services. The proposal would also create an Oregon Health Authority to overhaul the state's healthcare industry. Proponents say the proposal would cover all of the state's uninsured children and about 100,000 uninsured adults.
Homeless people across Nashville will have access to primary healthcare thanks to a nearly $1.2 million federal grant and the plans of one Nashville nonprofit to expand care. United Neighborhood Health Services will use the money to provide medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare to the city's homeless in a network of walk-in clinics across the city. Advocates say the new plan should help cut down on the number of emergency room visits by the homeless and save taxpayers money. A recent study by the Nashville nonprofit Park Center showed that Nashville's homeless visited hospitals three times more often than homeless in other cities.
Heathcare stocks often are seen as a haven when the economy slows, but they've struggled lately. But they still have managed to outperform the broader market: No matter what the state of the economy, the demand for many healthcare products and services continues unabated.