Medical identity theft has far more serious implications beyond patients getting stuck with a medical bill. Changes made to victims' medical files and histories can remain for years and may not ever be corrected, or even discovered, which can have deadly consequences.
A New Jersey lawmaker wants to let residents shop outside New Jersey for health insurance, saying the proposal would let state residents secure healthcare coverage that best suits their needs and budgets. Opponents, however, say the move would risk consumer protections. An estimated 1.5 million New Jerseyans lack health insurance, or about 15% of state residents.
The Kroger Co. has announced that it has made a "significant investment" in The Little Clinic LLC to help speed up a nationwide rollout of walk-in medical clinics in its supermarkets. The Little Clinic currently operates inside 26 Kroger stores, offering basic non-emergency medical care through a staff of registered nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants. The Little Clinic was founded in 2003, and has locations in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan and Tennessee.
The Illinois Senate has sent Gov. Rod Blagojevich legislation that would extend a program to help hospitals serving a large number of Medicaid patients. The five-year plan would provide $640 million annually for hospitals that care for patients covered by Medicare, and would provide an additional $130 million a year for general healthcare spending. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jeff Schoenberg , said that without the legislation, many hospitals serving large numbers of Medicaid and low-income patients would be threatened with either closing or severely reducing their services.
In another attempt to compete with Northwestern Memorial Hospital on its home turf, the University of Chicago Medical Center plans to open a physicians practice within walking distance of Northwestern.
The move by the University is considered significant because it is in the Streeterville neighborhood, which is dominated by providers of medical care affiliated with Northwestern University and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A source close to the move said cardiology services will be part of the University's physician practice, and the services will include some University of Chicago heart doctors in order to attract by referral a more affluent patient base of people who live and work downtown.
Massachusetts' bill for providing healthcare to employees of large companies increased 14% in the last fiscal year, according to a report. The state report shows that while healthcare reform has extended coverage, many employers still rely on state programs to provide healthcare benefits for their workers. The findings also underscore what is likely to become the next battle in the ongoing implementation of healthcare reform: getting employers to contribute more toward health insurance.
John McCain's plan for a healthcare system built around consumers shopping for their own insurance comes would bolster the role of high-risk pools, which sell insurance to people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, cancer and AIDS. These pools require significant government subsidies, charge high premiums and sometimes sharply restrict benefits or enrollment. Nationally, fewer than 200,000 people are enrolled in such pools, while 47 million people in the U.S. are without insurance.
Where you stand on the Indian social ladder shapes to a large degree what kind of healthcare you receive. India has a countrywide network of government-funded primary health centers and hospitals, but staffing, medicines and resources vary widely. The Planning Commission of India found that in government-run health centers this year, 45% of gynecologist posts and 53% of pediatric posts went unfilled, and that salaries for government doctors are a fraction of those at new private hospitals.
The Bush administration is threatening to veto legislation that protects doctors' Medicare payments at the expense of private insurers. Beginning July 1, reimbursement rates for doctors will drop 10.6% when they treat elderly and disabled Medicare patients.
To prevent it, lawmakers are looking at finding at least $9 billion in savings from other Medicare programs over the next five years. The veto threat complicates efforts by lawmakers to find the needed savings to retain the current level of physician payments, or even raise them slightly.
Washington, DC-based Greater Southeast Community Hospital has ceased to exist and United Medical Center has been announced as the new identity. The name change, by owner Specialty Hospitals of America, accompanies more than $12 million in capital renovations and technology upgrades. They include a new roof and generators, major improvements in the emergency department and replacement of nearly all radiology equipment.
