 | |
| |
| |
|
Another insurer is dropping out of Ocare. Wellmark has decided to drop individual policies in Iowa, their home state. They were the dominant insurer in the state.
A recent poll says it all. The young, who are not signing up for Ocare, have spoken they want government healthcare but they do not want to pay for it. They do not want the buy insurance or be fined aspect. Sounds like the millennials.
If Congress cuts off subsidies to Ocare the average premium would increase by about 19%. States that did not expand their Medicaid programs would see higher premium increases. This happens to also include the amount of deductibles and out of pocket expenses. Maybe this would be the impetus to get rid of the mandates.
The VA have announced that the hospital in DC is a danger to patients. They are very short of many items need to help the vets. The director was relieved of his duties but not fired from the VA. He will go on to screw up another hospital.
Molina Healthcare, a strong proponent of Ocare and a Medicaid insurer, is getting some of its business removed. In the Springfield, Illinois, area the patients on this insurance hare being transferred to traditional fee for service Medicaid. They do not have the requisite number of physicians or clinics to care for the population. The local hospitals are also dropping put of Medicaid due to payment issues. Illinois is going to accept bids for managed care companies to care for the state Medicaid population. Top
The University of Buffalo has lost its dermatology accreditation for unknown reasons. The eight people in the program will go to other programs.
In Akron, Iowa, the three physicians who practice at the clinic have resigned. They had sold their practice to Mercy Hospital in 2001. Mercy says they will bring in other physicians but these three have been the mainstay of the community. The town wants the clinic back under local control so the three will continue in town.
Mirror Mirror on the wall who is the richest of them all. Alan Miller of Universal Health Services, the company that is under indictment for fraud, made over $5o million in 2016. This includes vested options. Top
The NYT has an article about the increase in suits against physicians for not following patient advance directives. In the past the courts have shown little sympathy for these cases but that is no longer true. The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that it is the will of the patient and not the health care provider that controls. Top
Yet another study has shown the fallacy of EMRs. The Palo Alto Foundation Research Institute has shown that physicians are spending more time with the computer than with patients. Less patients seen is less money to the physician and more problems for the patient. This also leads to burnout and early retirement which compounds the problem. To combat this employers are going to scribes and remote scribes. The true question is how much of the information garnered is necessary or only done for billing.
The SF Business Times reports that a survey by TD Bank shows that about half of the country's physicians would sell their practices if they could. 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.