Healthcare Policy

How often do you see the insurance industry petition the government to set up another federal agency? Well, in this case, this most unlikely of events has actually occurred. America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the association representing health insurers, has asked Congress to create an agency dedicated to comparing the effectiveness of existing medical treatments, drugs and devices with new ones. (It would be intriguing to see whether some doctors' instincts are correct that snazzy …

Florida hospitals stand to lose $300 million a year if changes proposed by the federal government are passed. The state is in the paradoxical position of having done too well financially last year, having made good money with sales taxes and document stamps. Now, under the new rules, the feds would cut back the percentage of the state-federal split that they pay into the low-income pool, ultimately leaving state hospitals having to absorb a $209 million shortfall. The state's public …

With state officials and hospitals struggling to provide enough beds--and meet the need for post-discharge treatment--a growing number of Massachusetts children are having trouble getting needed mental health services. Mentally-ill children and adolescents face long ED waits, and when they are discharged, may not have access to outpatient programs. In February, for example, 156 children who were ready to leave inpatient psychiatric settings didn't have access to outpatient treatment. This …

Bowing to public pressure, Massachusetts officials are planning to exempt almost 20 percent of uninsured adults from the state's health insurance mandate. Under the state's reform law, all adults would have to have health insurance by July 1, and they'd face a penalty if they didn't have insurance by December 31. However, officials have concluded that even bare-bones, high-deductible insurance will be too expensive for about 60,000 people who make too much to qualify for state subsidies, …

A group of ranking U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee members are asking HHS for a new study of the relationship between physician schedules and medical errors. The group, which has been conducting ongoing research into preventable medical errors, includes committee chairman John Dingell (D-MI), ranking member Joe Barton (R-TX), and Reps. Bart Stupak (D-MI.) and Ed Whitfield (R-KY). The legislators are asking the HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to fund an Institute of …

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is considering some aggressive steps to push all citizens into health insurance plans. Under this proposal--one of several being considered by the administration--the state would track down people who refuse to buy health insurance, force-enrolled in a plan and fined until they pay the premiums. Schwarzenegger has also proposed attaching the wages of people who don't buy into a health plan, or boosting their state income tax debt. To find the …

A Lafayette, LA hospital worker has lost her suit against the police, which she filed when they arrested her for refusing to identify a domestic abuse patient who didn't want to file charges. The case arose in May 2005, when a 66-year-old woman told a hospital nurse that she'd been pushed down by her husband, but declined to press charges. The nurse still called 911, which of course brought the police to the facility. Elizabeth Maier, a case manager at Lafayette General Medical Center, …

If you wonder why pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers seem to get a warm hearing on Capitol Hill, here's your answer. According to new research by a journalistic organization, pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers, along with other health product makers, spent a combined $182 million on federal lobbying between January 2005 and June 2006. That paid for roughly 1,100 lobbyist salaries during the 18-month period. The leader in spending was drug …

Spurred by state authorities who said that premiums weren't affordable enough, insurers have done a second round of price-cutting on policies aimed at uninsured but employed citizens. Right now, it's estimated by about 200,000 Massachusetts residents don't get employer-sponsored health coverage, but also earn too much to qualify for state subsidies. To get some of this business, health plans had made bids for participation which came in below standard market premiums. However, Gov. Deval …

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), already a high-profile figure in the industry thanks to the self-referral rules bearing his name, has taken a stance on the universal health coverage issue. Stark, who serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, has introduced a bill creating a universal health plan. Under the AmeriCare Health Care Act, all U.S. citizens would be covered either …