The health insurance industry said it will support a national healthcare overhaul that requires them to accept all customers, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. But in return it wants lawmakers to mandate that everyone buy coverage. Lawmakers have signaled their intent to craft healthcare legislation early in 2009. The new position taken by the insurance industry, which helped sink President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal health coverage in 1994, could ease the way for passage of such legislation.
Washington health officials said they will start tracking MRSA hospital cases and will require hospitals to use federal guidelines in controlling the potentially fatal, drug-resistant bacteria. Department of Health Secretary Mary Selecky emphasized her agency's ongoing actions in controlling the germ. She said hospital tracking of MRSA cases began for the first time in October, through changes in a uniform tracking system. She said her department will analyze the data for trends.
The healthcare industry, often deemed recession-proof, may not be so immune to the economic downturn, according to a parade of recent reports from Moody's Investors Service. The financial ratings firm has issued reports in the past two weeks on various sectors, from hospitals and medical devices to insurance companies, revising the healthcare industry's 12- to 18-month outlook to "negative" from "stable." Moody's sees fewer patients seeking medical care, particularly elective surgeries, while more people could lose their healthcare coverage altogether. Such trends will lead people to delay getting medical care or avoiding treatment.
At least two Pennsylvania lawmakers are hoping that a pending state budget deficit and a dismal economy do not result in spending cuts in the state's $14.8 billion Medicaid program. Both state Rep. Chelsa Wagner and Sen. Wayne Fontana are trying to avoid the cuts, though a spokeswoman for a legislative budget committee said Medicaid reductions were a possibility.
Sutter Health is seeking a pivotal city approval for Elk Grove, CA's first community hospital. The hospital is part of a 488,000-square-foot medical campus. If the Elk Grove Planning Commission gives its initial thumbs up Dec. 4, the project could proceed in stages, starting with an ambulatory surgery center and medical office building completed in about two years. In 2012, Sutter Health also hopes to have completed the first phase of the hospital, a 133,000-square-foot facility with 68 licensed beds.
Along with butler and concierge service, spa and sauna, buyers who purchase homes at a new luxury high-rise in Atlanta receive two years of service from MD on Call, a mobile medical practice that treats patients in their homes. The high-rise, which opened in May but is yet to be occupied, is believed to be the first residential property in Atlanta and among the first in the country to offer medical services to its homeowners.