Despite a $25 million state effort approved by lawmakers, it could take up to four years to extend healthcare coverage to all of Iowa's children. Although it will take some time to cover all of the state's children, a special commission has already turned its attention toward covering more adults. The commission is now likely to spend months planning how to expand coverage. The commission includes former governors, and representatives from business, labor, healthcare, insurance and consumer advocacy groups.
Fewer than half of eligible U.S. patients received medical devices to shock their faulty hearts back into rhythm, though the products can cut death rates by more than one-third, according to a study.
Hospitals implanted the $33,000 cardiac resynchronization therapy devices in 12.4% of heart failure patients, according to a survey of 34,000 cases. Cost is a factor at some hospitals, as is the lack of trained specialists to implant the devices and physicians' reluctance to embrace the relatively new technology, say the study's authors.
Massachusetts businesses are balking at a proposed state regulation that they say will force small companies to spend thousand of dollars more in health insurance for their workers, and could lead many employers to drop coverage altogether. The proposed rules are intended to help close a gap in funding the state's universal healthcare law. The regulations, if adopted, would take effect Oct. 1, and raise about $45 million this fiscal year.
Facing rising health-insurance premiums a struggling economy, an increasing number of small-business owners and individuals without job-based insurance are turning to professional associations and trade and affinity groups that offer grouplike health coverage to their members. State medical associations, bar associations, local chambers of commerce, and associations for people with similar interests or hobbies often offer insurance to their members. Before enrolling in a plan, individuals must first join the association, which typically involves paying a membership fee and proving they meet its entry requirements.
New York Gov. David A. Paterson has presented a plan to trim $1 billion from the state's budget that includes cutting spending on Medicaid assistance. By proposing a $500 million reduction in the Medicaid budget, Paterson may have a confrontation with the state's hospital lobby and healthcare unions. Kenneth E. Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, said the cuts were possibly "the single most damaging budget proposal I've seen in my career."
States routinely fail to notify federal authorities when they've kicked healthcare providers out of their Medicaid programs for incompetence, fraud, and other reasons, government investigators have found. The lack of notice is a violation of federal law, and makes it easier for barred providers to set up shop in other states and to continue getting payments from federal health programs. The inspector general for the Health and Human Services Department maintains the list of healthcare providers prohibited from getting any federal health reimbursements. In 2007, the IG's office added 3,308 people and organizations to that database, but probably could have added many more, according to a survey.
Capital District Physicians' Health Plan of Albany, NY, has agreed to pay a $600,000 fine after the state discovered it withheld information from members between 2004 and 2006 about their right to appeal denied claims. The health insurer will also be contacting members to ensure they have the proper information for how claims are processed, what costs are covered, and how to appeal a claim that has been denied.
Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia has eliminated more than 50 jobs in recent months. A proposed merger with Highmark Inc. of Pittsburgh could add even more that list—officials project the merger would eliminate as many as 1,200 positions.
With obesity on the rise nationwide, some states, including Tennessee, are now looking at policies and initiatives aimed to reduce the number of those afflicted with preventable conditions caused by excess weight.
A substance brought into the emergency room at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Saturday night temporarily closed that area of the hospital, and sickened four workers. The DeKalb County Fire Department's HAZMAT team found the substance to be a small bag of pellets typically used in pool maintenance. It was apparently brought into the hospital with a patient and his mother, both of whom were also sickened.
