All Articles Tagged "health care"
In Effort to Cut U.S. Deficit, New York Teaching Hospitals May Lose Aid
(New York Times) — New York State’s prestigious teaching hospitals could lose more than $1 billion a year as part of plans under negotiation in Washington to reduce the federal deficit that the hospitals say will lead to drastic service reductions. The cuts would reduce the Medicare subsidy for training doctors and for providing intensive medical services like trauma centers and burn units and sophisticated equipment that the teaching hospitals offer. The plan would apply to teaching hospitals nationwide but would have its most profound impact in cities like New York and Boston, where medical schools and their affiliated hospitals have a significant presence. Dating to the 1960s, the subsidy has helped make New York State the world capital of medical education, training about 16,000 doctors a year, or 14.5 percent of the nation’s total, more than any other state.
Keep Your Healthcare Despite Losing Your Job
(Daily Finance) — If you think there have to be better ways for an uninsured person to get health care than robbing a bank for $1 — as a North Carolina man did recently to get access to medical care in prison — you’re right: There are. While most people get their health insurance from their employers, that doesn’t mean the jobless have to take desperate measures. If you’re one of the nation’s nearly 14 million unemployed, here’s what you need to know.
Get the Facts: ”The health insurance system is complex and can be confusing,” says Ankeny Minoux, president of the Foundation for Health Coverage Education, a nonprofit organization and research resource,www.coverageforall.org. “Start by doing your homework and taking the time to fully understand all options before enrolling in a program or plan.”
New Study Says Prison Is Better For Black Men's Health
By J. Smith
NY To Address Troubled Brooklyn Hospitals
(Crain’s) — Stephen Berger, the former chair of a New York state health care restructuring panel, will oversee a new effort to save struggling hospitals in Brooklyn. Mr. Berger, chairman of Odyssey Investment Partners, a New York investment firm, formerly chaired the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century. The Berger commission was charged with downsizing the number of hospitals in the state, and ordered the closure of several New York City hospitals. The state hoped that by closing hospitals that were operating at low capacity, remaining hospitals would become healthier.
Fewer Georgians Get Insurance Through Jobs
(AJC) — The share of Georgians who got health insurance through an employer dropped sharply between 1999 and 2009, as rising costs prompted fewer small companies to offer coverage and the recession forced some workers out of jobs with benefits, a new study found. Among Georgians under 65, 59.8 percent had employee health plans during 2008 and 2009, down from 69.3 percent during 1999 and 2000, according to the study released Tuesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The change was also fueled by a decline in the share of Georgia employees willing to pay rising premium and out-of-pocket costs for employer-based coverage. The shift away from employer plans pushed slightly more Georgians to buy their own insurance or resort to government coverage such as Medicaid, the tax-funded program for low-income families. But the biggest jump was in the share of non-elderly Georgians without insurance, which climbed from 14.4 percent to 20.4 percent over the decade — one of the steepest state increases and three points higher than the national average.
AIDS's Continued Grip on DC
(Washington Post) — Although the number of District residents living with HIV or AIDS remains high enough to rate as an epidemic, the tally of new cases has dropped by nearly 50 percent over two years, according to a report released Wednesday. The annual report by the D.C. Department of Health also noted a 60 percent drop in the number of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases from injection drug use, from 153 cases in 2007 to 62 in 2009, the most recent data available. Health officials cited expanded needle-exchange programs as the probable reason. More than 3 percent of District residents older than 12 were living with HIV or AIDS in 2009, the year covered by the 108-page report. The epidemic continues to disproportionately affect blacks, adults ages 30 to 59 and those living in Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8.
D.C. Nursing Home Costs Soar
(Washington Business Journal) — Nursing home costs in the District are among the highest in the nation, and those costs are rising twice as fast as nationally. Insurance firm Genworth Financial Inc. has released its 2011 Cost of Care Survey, showing state-by-state costs for various assisted living expenses.
Miracle Worker: How One Man Turned Around a Failing Hospital
(Fast Company) — A doctor is beaten and strangled to death by a patient, the body left on the floor for half an hour before a janitor happens across it. A mental patient hangs herself with her own clothes tied to the top of a toilet stall. HIV-infected blood is tossed out with the regular trash. Wright L. Lassiter III was thinking, Why should I take this job? There was more: Nurses who followed doctors’ orders only when they felt like it. Millions of dollars in losses year after year. A culture that favored blame over accountability. A sad parade of feckless executives — 10 CEOs in 11 years. It was 2005 and Lassiter was next in line.
Lanky, charismatic, and a rising star in the health-care industry, Lassiter could have become just one more executive casualty when he took the job as CEO of the Alameda County Medical Center in Oakland, California, and its flagship, Highland Hospital. Instead, he did what seemed impossible: He turned a shockingly mismanaged urban safety-net hospital system in one of America’s most violent cities into a model for other public hospitals. He trimmed costs without any significant cutback in services — in fact, services have been greatly expanded. A new $668 million hospital building is under construction. Six years on, the center has turned a positive margin every year but the last, when a new auditor required it to set aside more money for pension costs; so far, it is on target to break even this year.
No one is pretending that ACMC is immune from the severe financial problems facing public hospitals. Atlanta’s Grady Health System is facing a $30 million shortfall. Miami’s Jackson Health System is in even worse straits: It lost $93 million in fiscal 2010 and is on track to lose another $78 million this year; cash on hand is down to 19.6 days.
From His Bed, Paralyzed Athlete Leads Fight for Health Insurance
(Chicago Tribune) — In the five weeks since paralyzed running back Rasul “Rocky” Clark told the media of his fight for health insurance after his $5 million policy expired, his family has been overwhelmed with support, he said. One south suburban woman offered to volunteer at the family’s house in Robbins so that Clark’s mother, Annette, could have a few hours a day to exercise, he said. A man from Joliet emailed and said he wanted to come visit and offer the injured former football player prayer. Another suburban couple set up a website,rasulrockyclark.com, so that residents can send medical supplies, like gauze, hand soap, Lysol wipes and spray directly to Clark’s home. ”I’m grateful for those who saw me and reached out,” said Rocky Clark, whose ordeal was first detailed March 1 in the Tribune. “They have showed a lot of love. But I’m not asking for money, I just want the health insurance I (had). ”My situation is a push for life. That’s what it is. It’s very unfortunate, but I’m going to keep at it and I’m not going to give up.”
Save on Healthcare Now
(Black Enterprise) — Sure, health reform was signed into law a year ago on Wednesday and meant to make health care and health insurance more accessible and affordable for more Americans. But many of the enactment’s provisions don’t kick in until 2014. In the meantime, here are eight ways you can save money–right now.
1. Lock in That Rate. When you’re purchasing private health insurance for yourself or your family, keep in mind that your insurance company may periodically increase your monthly premiums. One way you can temporarily protect yourself is to look for a “rate guarantee” when shopping for coverage. Work with a licensed broker who represents a large variety of health insurance companies to find out which companies offer rate guarantees. Some carriers may automatically lock in your rate for the first year of your policy.
2. Right-size Your Health Insurance Plan. If your current plan is getting too expensive to keep, but you’re afraid of being declined for new coverage based on your medical history, make sure you explore your options. Work with a broker who has the experience and resources to negotiate with your carrier directly. You may be able to stay with the same insurer and transfer to a more affordable plan without undergoing medical underwriting and running the risk of being declined. There are trade-offs, of course. You may need to accept a higher deductible in return for a lower monthly premium. But the new plan may still provide you with valuable protection in case of serious illness or injury, and you may be able to trim a substantial amount from your monthly bill. Make sure you ask questions and get as much information before making a final decision.
