The general public has grown increasingly anxious about Washington's efforts to reconfigure healthcare and what it may mean for middle-class families. Some remain frustrated by the lack of available detail about his plan’s contours and cost, and feel that they are being asked to buy on spec from a government they do not trust, according to the New York Times.
White House officials negotiated furiously to keep major healthcare legislation on track after the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said his chamber would not vote on a health measure until after Congress returned from its summer recess. The White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, led a hastily called three-hour negotiating session at the Capitol with conservative Blue Dog Democrats, the group that has stalled action on the healthcare bill in the House.
Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services could receive tens of millions of dollars if it manages to control costs and hit certain quality measures under a new three-year contract with Medica. Officials say the contract represents a dramatic change in how healthcare is paid for, and will encourage clinics to experiment with less costly types of patient care, such as nurse-only visits and group appointments.
The effort to insure tens of millions of uncovered Americans will almost certainly involve a sweeping expansion of Medicaid, with Texas probably feeling the impact more than any other state. Texas lawmakers have for years limited Medicaid's reach to low-income adults, who under Texas rules don't qualify for the program. One proposal by U.S. House lawmakers would provide federal funding to extend Medicaid to about 1 million Texas adults, according to the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities. That would be a massive jump from the 38,000 who qualify today.
A group of 35 politicians representing parts of Bucks County, PA, asked the board of Lower Bucks Hospital to sell only to organizations that will promise to maintain the property as a full-service hospital. In a letter, the group said the community "relies heavily" on the hospital for convenient services and that, as the employer of more than 1,000 people, it is a "key component of the local economy."
The case against 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 is in the hands of a jury. Lawyers say it may be the first of its kind and 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.
As the broader economy appears to be stabilizing, Connecticut's hospitals and nursing homes are suddenly eliminating jobs. Connecticut posted the first significant job losses in the healthcare sector in more than a decade in the second quarter of 2009, according to the state Department of Labor. Since March, the state has lost 1,800 healthcare jobs, or nearly 0.75%.
Officials at Atlanta-based Grady Memorial Hospital are moving forward with plans to revamp the facility's outpatient pharmacy, investing $2.6 million in a robot worker that they say will reduce wait times. Grady officials this month approved the purchase of the robot, which can stock 720 drugs and process 550 prescriptions an hour. The robot is expected to be running by November. The hospital is also shifting some of the pharmacy pickup sites to a building about two blocks from the hospital.
Partners Healthcare, the largest hospital and physician network in Massachusetts, has agree to pay $2.7 million in overtime back wages to 700 employees. The agreement resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor alleging violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which requires workers be paid time and one-half their regular wage for hours worked beyond 40 in a week.
A growing numbers of Americans are seeking alternative medical care, and now an influential group of U.S. senators believes the time has come to embrace an array of alternative therapies. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa is the cosponsor of an amendment that says healthcare plans will not be allowed to "discriminate" against any healthcare provider who has a license issued by a state, an amendment Senate aides said was designed to provide coverage for alternative medicine. Backers of the amendment say it could save tens of billions of dollars in the long run by providing less expensive and better alternatives to drugs and surgery in a variety of cases.
