News From Around the Web
> Hundreds of thousands of new Medi-Cal enrollees raise questions about the access and availability of specialist care, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. Article
> Forty-six percent of insurer advertising dollars during the week of Feb. 24 went to commercials featuring the healthcare reform law, up from 32 percent the week prior, according to ad tracking group Kantar Media CMAG, The Washington Post reported. Article
> Employer-sponsored healthcare benefits will increase 4.4 percent this year to $9,560 per employee, marking the smallest uptick in 15 years, according to the latest survey by Towers Watson and the National Business Group for Health. Announcement
Healthcare Finance News
> Hospital drug costs will likely rise between 3 and 5 percent this year, according to data from the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. Article
> Hospitals now appeal about half of all RAC payment denials, which cause long delays associated with the process, according to the latest survey from the American Hospital Association. Article
And Finally... Bacon can make you a morning person. Article