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HCA in Florida is under fire for their costs of running a trauma center. There have been lawsuits to prevent HCA from operating trauma centers at three facilities. The legislature has bill in the hopper to allow HCA to keep operating trauma centers as long as they abide by the minimal rules set up. The Blues say they are paying HCA twice as much as they pay the other trauma facilities.
The North Adams Regional Hospital has upset the unions. They are closing without giving the unions enough notice to challenge the closing. The unions will lose about 500 jobs and are not happy campers. They have 109 beds and they have patients in 20. They are losing money hand over fist and can not stand the hemorrhage. The unions could not care less. They want the hospital to lose money as long as they get paid. Top
Arizona has a problem. The law of unintended circumstances has reared it's nasty head. The medical board decided after it was criticized last year to have more stringent criteria and oversight in the licensing of physicians. This means that the board has gone from 11 days to credential a physician to practice in the state to almost 70 days. There is now a backlog of 700 physicians waiting to be processed. This is going to hurt the state in attempting to lure physicians.
Gee, a state with the highest Medicaid population and the lowest amount of primary physicians has problems with access. I wonder why Mississippi has the problem of Medicaid patients not finding physicians to take them. Top
Insurance officials are saying Sebelius lied when she sated that Obamacare health premiums will go up less in 2015 than they would without Obamacare. They are predicting a substantial increase due to the new health law. Some companies expect to triple their premium next year.
EHealthInsurance has stated that premiums for health insurance are rising faster than the eight years prior to Obamacare combined. The individual health market has risen 39% since February, 2013. Family insurance has risen 56% over the same time. This compares to the 37% raise between 2005 and 2013. The major reason is the Obamacare essential benefits. The insurer also stated that co-pays and deductibles are also rising.
The LA Times reports that by May the California Obamacare insurers will have to have their 2015 pricing into the exchanges so negotiations can begin. This means they are now going over the prescriptions purchased and the office diagnosis to make sure they charge enough. They have found so far that about 1/4 of the enrollees are in the 18-34 age group, a small percentage.
The White House has finally admitted their error in counting enrolled Obamacare people. They now admit that about 1/4 have not paid their premiums but are still counted as enrolled, a lie.
The AP has found that insurers under Obamacare have stopped dealing with the large cancer centers in the country. Only 4 of 19 nationally recognized cancer centers have contracts with all the insurers in their states.
WellPoint has planned on a double digit increase in Obamacare insurance premiums. this flies in the face of Sebelius's comment of small increases for 2015. The reason is the expected decrease of the fed's reinsurance payments to the insurers.
A new study in the NEJM has shown that almost all males between ages 60-75 should be on statins as well as half of the female population. Some cardiologists have said that this is nonsense and the guidelines should be more focused on healthy life styles. Top
DISCLAIMER: Although this
article is updated periodically, it reflects the author's point of view at the
time of publication. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice. Readers
should consult with their own legal counsel before acting on any of the
information presented.