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Category Archives: Health Care

Brownley Offers Amendment Prohibiting Discrimination Against Women in Health Care Coverage – Video

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Brownley Offers Amendment Prohibiting Discrimination Against Women in Health Care Coverage
Congresswoman Julia Brownley offered an amendment to prevent insurance companies from discriminating against women. Brownley #39;s amendment would stop insurance companies from charging small...

By: Julia Brownley

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Brownley Offers Amendment Prohibiting Discrimination Against Women in Health Care Coverage - Video

Health-care cost may change in Sunrise

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The city of Sunrise is looking to lower the cost of health care for itself and city employees. One of the first steps would be a self-funded model of health care.

City commissioners voted in a new policy effective Jan. 1 that they hope will drastically cut down on the overall cost of health care the city has to pay to insurance companies and reduce the premiums city employees have to pay.

"We are taking steps to move to a self-funded model," City Manager Alan Cohen said. "The difference between where we are right now and where we are going is, we will continue to pay for direct health costs, [and] we'll continue to pay for administrative costs. We will not be paying for profit on our health-care costs, and also we will have the ability to garner significant cost savings over time."

According to Cohen, in the last 10 years, approximately $6.6 million went straight into the pockets of the various health insurance companies the city has had during that time period money that could have gone into reserves instead.

"One of the great frustrations we've all sensed here is that every year the insurance companies come in for a 10-percent raise," Mayor Mike Ryan said. "We seem to accept that the insurance companies get 10 percent year after year. This is an opportunity for all of us to work together to try and keep those premiums down. When they are kept down through wellness or otherwise, that everyone benefits from it and it's not just the insurance companies harvesting that profit for themselves."

The city will be using health insurance group AvMed to the tune of $14,926,000 per year to facilitate the administrative side of the health care.

The money saved from not paying health-insurance profits will now go into city reserves that can only be used for health-care costs as per state law.

The contract with AvMed includes their network of doctors, physicians, and specialists. The good news for city employees, according to Cohen, is that 96 percent of the providers are the same as the old health-care insurance, Humana.

"Some individual employees might have an individual physician not in the network, and there might be some displacement there," Cohen said. "But what is important to note in many of those cases is that if any of our employees are in the middle of receiving ongoing treatment, there is a transition-of-care program, which is applicable to things like pregnancy, substance abuse, cancer treatment, and the like."

Under the new model of self-funding, city employees will still have the same level of benefits, the same deductibles, and the same medical service. There will be no change in the services covered by the insurance or in the ancillary services, like drug counseling or employee-assistance programs. However, a small percentage of employees may see that certain physicians or specialists are no longer in their network, according to Cohen. Still, the network is much larger than the old one and covers more area.

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Health-care cost may change in Sunrise

Health care honcho says greater efficiency is on the horizon

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For 23 years, Rod Davis headed St. Rose Dominican Hospitals Siena campus. Under his helm, Siena grew from a small, out-of-the-way medical center to one of the valleys busiest hospitals.

He is not afraid to challenge the status quo and take risks, all in the interest of improving health care quality and access, co-worker Kate Grey said. Rod has truly shaped and improved health care in Las Vegas.

In November, Davis will be honored by Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada for his efforts to provide health services to the most needy in the community. Last year, Dignity Health gave Volunteers in Medicine a $50,000 community grant and donated $50,000 worth of in-kind services.

You are being honored by Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada. Tell us about the award.

Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada is dedicated to providing the uninsured with access to comprehensive medical care, including preventive care. St. Rose Dominican has supported Volunteers in Medicine since its inception in 2008 and has worked closely with its founder, Dr. Florence Jameson. We believe the services VMSN provides are an essential cornerstone of our communitys health and are part of our mission as a faith-based, not-for-profit health provider. I am humbled to be recognized at the sixth annual Volunteers in Medicine Ball on behalf of my organization.

What do you think the nations health care system will look like in 25 years?

There will be less dependence on acute-care hospitals. They will still be needed, but focusing on keeping populations healthy and chronic disease management will intercept patients with proactive efforts to maintain their health.

Financial incentives to providers, employers and insurers will be aligned, reducing unnecessary duplication and influencing players to work together. This will result in even more efficient care delivery at a lower cost than we experience now.

Health delivery systems will be required to adapt to this changing environment in order to survive; organizations that deliver high quality at a better value will be the most successful.

What is on the horizon for Dignity Health?

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Health care honcho says greater efficiency is on the horizon

Health care providers seek share of new revenue stream

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Published: Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 5:57 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 5:57 p.m.

The money will come from the interest off about $200 million the Marion County Hospital District received from Community Hospital Systems in exchange for allowing that private company to lease Munroe Regional Medical Center. The money is sitting in interest-bearing accounts and investment vehicles.

With dozens of nonprofits looking for new revenue streams as state and federal funding spigots tighten, the hospital district money could be a godsend: the largest revenue stream of its kind in the county.

While the first checks wont be written for at least another year and while the hospital district trustees arent even close to deciding who should get how much the Star-Banner asked some local health care leaders how they think the money should be spent.

Among the first in line with suggestions is Heart of Florida Health Center CEO Kerrie Jones Clark.

First, continue to fund primary care for the uninsured, Clark said.

About half of Heart of Floridas 15,000 patients are uninsured. The other half mostly has Medicaid.

To fill the gap, the health center depends on local grants and corresponding federal drawdowns. For example, Heart of Florida gets $400,000 a year from Munroe Regional Medical Center and a corresponding $1.1 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

But CMS warned this year that its contribution will end next year. For Heart of Florida, which has a $9 million annual budget, thats a significant loss.

That is where the hospital district could step in, Clark said. A $1 million grant from the district would pay for about 10,000 health center visits and make up the CMS loss.

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Health care providers seek share of new revenue stream

Dignity Health spends big at Levi's Stadium

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If you're wondering why health care costs are going sky high, one reason may be the multimillion-dollar skyboxes that two of the Bay Area's biggest "not-for-profit" insurers have bought at the 49ers' new stadium.

Blue Shield of California and Dignity Health each own Levi's Stadium luxury suites, which go for at least $2.5 million apiece.

Dignity, the San Francisco outfit formerly known as Catholic Healthcare West, is also the Niners' exclusive health-industry sponsor. It's spending big time to advertise in and around the new Santa Clara stadium as well as on game broadcasts. There's even a "Dignity Health Plaza" at one corner of the $1.2 billion stadium.

"It's scandalous that two not-for-profit health care companies that are exempt from state taxes waste millions of dollars on luxury skyboxes rather than putting those charitable dollars toward patient care or lower premiums," said Jamie Court of Consumer Watchdog, the group behind Proposition 45 on the November ballot - an initiative that would require California health care companies to get approval from the state insurance commissioner for rate increases.

Dignity officials said in a statement that they were "proud to be the official health care partner of the San Francisco 49ers." They noted that the company "is sponsoring the first-aid clinics located throughout the facility and will be hosting several special health and wellness events throughout the season."

The statement added that "in today's highly competitive health care market, the sponsorships also provide positive visibility and recognition for the Dignity Health brand and the services we provide."

In the meantime, Prop. 45 proponents - with TV cameras in tow - showed up Thursday outside Blue Shield's San Francisco headquarters with a tongue-in-cheek demand from 22,000 customers for tickets to Niners games.

The Prop. 45 folks also tried to buy advertising at Sunday's game on the Jumbotron at Levi's Stadium to tie Blue Shield's skybox to "excessive premiums" and tell fans that the health insurer "has a better view than you."

The Niners rejected the ad.

"We don't sell individual ad space," said team spokesman Bob Lange, telling us that it's strictly reserved for their media partners.

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Dignity Health spends big at Levi's Stadium

Health-care cost top retirement concern

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People over 50 say their top retirement financial worry is health-care costs, a survey, out Friday, shows.

But only 15% of pre-retirees have tried to figure out how much money they might need for health care and long-term care in retirement, according to the survey of 3,300 people, ages 25 and older, conducted by Merrill Lynch in partnership with Age Wave, a research think-tank on aging issues.

It's no wonder people are worried. Another report estimated that out-of-pocket health-care costs in retirement may equal $318,800 if retirement lasts 30 years; $220,600 for 25 years; $146,400 for 20 years; $91,200 for 15 years; $50,900, 10 years. These estimates do not include the cost of long-term care.

"People are quite enthusiastic about the chance of living a longer life, yet at the same time there is mounting worry about the cost of health care in retirement, and very few people have sat down and figured out what that will be," says gerontologist Ken Dychtwald, CEO of Age Wave.

More from USA Today: Do retirees need long-term care insurance? Employer health plan deductibles see big 5-year jump Health care spending growth is slow but rising

Financial planning for retirement needs to include health-care costs, says David Tyrie, head of retirement for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. People should realize that "investing in your health could have the biggest impact on your wealth."

When it comes to their greatest health worries in retirement, 63% of those 50 and older say not being able to afford health care and long-term care expenses; 39%, side effects of multiple medications; 37%, not being able to manage chronic pain; 34%, not finding doctors who can effectively meet their needs as they grow older.

Health tops wealth when it comes to a happy retirement, the survey found. Most retirees say having good health is the most important ingredient for a happy retirement, followed by financial security, having loving family/friends and having purpose.

Read MoreStudent Loan Debt Burdens More Than Just Young People

The survey also showed that more than half (55%) of retirees retired earlier than they had expected; 38% retired when they expected; 7% later than they expected. The main reasons people gave for early retirement: personal health problems, followed by job loss.

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Health-care cost top retirement concern

Area Health Care Centers Receiving Federal Money

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Published: Friday, September 12, 2014 at 10:53 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, September 12, 2014 at 10:53 p.m.

WINTER HAVEN | Central Florida Health Care, which has clinics throughout Polk County, is getting $301,974 in Affordable Care Act funding to expand its primary care.

The nonprofit health center is one of 48 statewide that will get part of $13,432,990 that is to help add employees, add longer hours and add new services, such as behavioral health and vision care.

Another is Suncoast Community Health Centers in Ruskin, which partners with Lakeland OB-GYN on obstetric and gynecology care. Midwives with Lakeland OB-GYN became Suncoast employees under a 2012 agreement.

Suncoast will receive $352,036, according to an announcement Friday by Sylvia M. Burwell, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Central Florida also is the group that Polk's Citizens HealthCare Oversight Committee said Thursday should get $500,000, with a 10 percent contingency, to offer affordable dental care in Winter Haven. That would be from Polk's indigent-care program.

The federal money being given Central Florida and other health centers will let them reach about 69,144 new patients in Florida, Burwell said. In addition to treating patients, health centers are active in helping uninsured people find insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

[ Robin Williams Adams can be reached at robin.adams@theledger.com or 863-802- 7558. ]

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Area Health Care Centers Receiving Federal Money

Advocate Health Care and NorthShore to merge

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Two of Chicago's largest hospital systems on Thursday approved plans to combine, creating a 16-hospital, $6.8 billion system that promises to change the competitive landscape of health care in the Chicago region.

Advocate Health Care, the state's largest hospital system, and NorthShore University HealthSystem, the dominant hospital chain in the North Shore suburbs, said Thursday they will merge to create Advocate NorthShore Health Partners in a deal that's expected to close in early 2015.

The blockbuster deal is the largest hospital merger in Illinois in recent years, a trend set in motion by the federal Affordable Care Act and fueled in part by declining hospital patient volume and tighter finances.

It will create the 11th-largest nonprofit health system in the country and by the far the largest in Illinois, with more than 45,000 employees and 4,438 hospital beds.

"This is a huge win for Advocate. It's an incredible coup to lock up NorthShore. It's a great market and it's a great system," said Jordan Shields, a vice president at Juniper Advisory, a Chicago-based investment bank that provides merger and acquisition services to hospital systems.

The deal, Shields said, "is going to shake people. What this does is change the gravity in the metropolitan area."

Combined, the new health system will serve an estimated 3 million patients a year at more than 350 facilities including hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices and outpatient centers.

Both health systems' boards voted unanimously this week to approve the deal, which also will unite two of the region's largest medical groups, giving Advocate NorthShore more than 2,000 employed physicians.

The deal still requires approval from the United Church of Christ, which is affiliated with Advocate; the Federal Trade Commission; and state regulators.

Under terms of the merger, both health systems will contribute six members of a 12-member board of directors. Jim Skogsbergh, president and chief executive officer of Advocate, and NorthShore CEO Mark Neaman will be co-CEOs of the combined enterprise.

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Advocate Health Care and NorthShore to merge

The Wall Street Journal: Health-care rebounds as Obamacare provides a boost

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The sprawling U.S. health-care industry saw revenue rebound last quarter, a sign that stronger spending at hospitals and medical offices could help boost U.S. economic growth to its highest level in eight years.

Total revenue at health-care and social-assistance firms rose 3% in the second quarter from the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department said Thursday in its Quarterly Services Survey. Hospital revenue rose 2.8% from the first quarter and revenue at physician offices jumped 4.1%.

Thursdays report showed modest acceleration in health spending in the second quarter, driven likely by both more people insured under the Affordable Care Act and the recovering economy putting some upward pressure on health-care costs, said Larry Levitt, a senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Economists have predicted the rollout of the Affordable Care Act this year will lead to higher health-care spending as millions of Americans obtain insurance coverage and begin using it. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week projected health-care spending would grow 5.6% this year, up from an estimated 3.6% in 2013.

But that spending surge didnt materialize in the first quarter, when revenue at health-care and social-assistance firms fell 2% from the fourth quarter. U.S. spending on health-care services, adjusted for inflation, fell at a 1.4% pace and dragged down overall economic growth, the Commerce Department estimated.

Consumer spending generates more than two-thirds of U.S. economic output, and stronger spending on health care and other services should bolster overall growth. The Commerce Department last month said gross domestic product expanded at a 4.2% seasonally adjusted annual rate in the second quarter, rebounding from an unexpected first-quarter contraction.

An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com.

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The Wall Street Journal: Health-care rebounds as Obamacare provides a boost


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