Healthcare News

RSS

Massachusetts health insurance mandate does not include children

The new Massachusetts health insurance law "contains a little-known loophole: The mandate that all residents have coverage by next summer does not include children," the Boston Globe reports.

3 Oct 2006

Medical reforms driving British doctors out of the health service

The British Government has been called on to delay it's controversial scheme intended to reform the training of junior doctors, amid fears that more than 10,000 doctors could be left without training posts when Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) is implemented next year.

27 Sep 2006

Los Angeles Times examines medical identity theft problems, risks

The Los Angeles Times on Monday examined medical identity fraud, in which individuals use the names and medical records of others to obtain health care.

26 Sep 2006

Hispanics more likely to lack health care coverage

Hispanics in smaller, more rural communities have greater barriers in accessing care than do Hispanics in larger communities, according to a report released on Thursday by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, the Bradenton Herald reports.

26 Sep 2006

Workers often turn to managers for information on consumer-driven health insurance plans

The Wall Street Journal on Monday examined how, although consumer-driven health plans have "motivated some workers to research what they are paying for medical care," the "employees' research often consists of going" to their managers for help.

26 Sep 2006

Call for examination of tax breaks for employer-based health insurance

The problem with the U.S. health care system is that it gives "the biggest tax breaks for employer-provided insurance to those in the highest brackets" and makes "everyone over 65 eligible for taxpayer-funded medical care regardless of financial need and, more insidiously, regardless of past opportunity to save," columnist Holman Jenkins writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

26 Sep 2006

Hospital services most expensive part of U.S. health aystem

About 33% of every dollar spent on U.S. health care goes toward inpatient hospital care, according to a report by HHS's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Washington Times reports (Howard Price, Washington Times, 9/23).

26 Sep 2006

WHO establishes secretariat on public health, innovation, health research and intellectual property

The World Health Organization (WHO) has established a secretariat on Public Health, Innovation, Essential Health Research and Intellectual Property.

25 Sep 2006

Cigna provides data on cost, quality of services to web site

Cigna, which last year began to post cost and quality information for inpatient services performed at hospitals on a Web site for members, this week added data for outpatient services performed at stand-alone surgical centers, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (Perotin, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9/20).

22 Sep 2006

Health insurers in Florida rank lower

Health insurers in Florida rank lower on a series of quality measures compared with insurance companies in other parts of the country, according to a report released on Monday by the Florida Health Care Coalition, the Miami Herald reports. FHCC -- a coalition of Florida employers including Macy's, county governments and school boards -- studied the state's six largest insurers.

22 Sep 2006

New Hampshire nursing homes file complaint seeking $4.4m in Medicaid reimbursements

About 60 of New Hampshire's 78 nursing homes have signed a complaint alleging that the state Department of Health and Human Services owes them $4.4 million for care provided to Medicaid beneficiaries since 2002, the Concord Monitor reports.

22 Sep 2006

Opinion piece examines CDC cash awards process

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution recently published an editorial and an opinion piece that addressed issues related to the CDC cash awards process.

22 Sep 2006

Lawmakers push AMA to support linking Medicare payments, quality measures

House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Chair Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) on Wednesday met with physician groups to discuss legislation that would stop a 5.1% reduction in Medicare physician reimbursements that is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2007, CQ Today reports.

22 Sep 2006

Hispanics in 'new growth communities' face greater barriers to health care

22 Sep 2006

Race and mental health: There is more to race than racism

Psychiatry services in England and Wales have been accused of being institutionally racist, but are these accusations justified?

21 Sep 2006

Health workforce exodus will push health systems to the brink of collapse

What will happen if the Western Pacific's health workforce, seeking better-paying jobs and professional advancement abroad, continue to migrate as the region's population ages, the burden of chronic disease rises and new health threats emerge?

21 Sep 2006

Unpleasant memories from intensive care

"Being cared for in an intensive care unit (ICU) can never be an especially positive experience. But at any rate it should not mean that the care improves the patient's physical condition only to leave him or her with severe mental problems!"

20 Sep 2006

Some Alabama abortion clinics facing difficulties finding local physicians to provide backup services

Some abortion-rights advocates in Alabama say it has become increasingly difficult for abortion clinics to find local physicians who will serve as backups for abortion providers because of fears they will be targeted and harassed by abortion-rights opponents, AP/Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports.

20 Sep 2006

Southern health officials call on congress to approve Ryan White CARE act reauthorization

A group of Republican senators and health officials from Southern state held a news conference in Washington, D.C., to call on Congress to approve reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports (Evans, AP/Contra Costa Times, 9/14).

20 Sep 2006

Federal law allows consumers to qualify for Medicaid, retain assets

Under a new federal law, residents of about 20 states in 2007 will be able to purchase simplified, long-term care coverage, and if that coverage runs out, they could qualify for Medicaid, even if they have assets totaling more than $2,000, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

20 Sep 2006