Becker News and Research

RSS

DaVita HealthCare Partners earns over 30 awards for excellence in 2014

DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., one of the nation's largest and most innovative health care communities, today confirmed earning over 30 awards for excellence from independent organizations in 2014.

1 Dec 2014

ACA knowledge gap greatest among uninsured

Most of the uninsured know little about the online insurance marketplaces, or that financial help is available for those with low incomes, finds a poll.

21 Oct 2014

Renewal wrinkles, high deductibles and decisions for employers: These and other health law implementation issues grab headlines

News outlets report on a range of health law implementation issues that are causing challenges for consumers, employers and Obamacare advocates.

21 Oct 2014

State highlights: Blue Cross Blue Shield dominant in Texas

A selection of health policy stories from Texas, New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri and New Mexico.

13 Oct 2014

States grapple with Obamacare premium increases, related issues

In California, voters are split over a ballot initiative that would give the state's insurance commissioners new powers to veto health insurance cost increases. Meanwhile, in Iowa, the insurance commissioner approves rate increases proposed by three insurers.

9 Oct 2014

Conn. foundations helping to finance health enrollment push

This initiative will supplement the state health insurance marketplace's official sign-up effort. In Illinois, officials gear up for the second year of enrollment but expect signing up new beneficiaries will be harder this time.

7 Oct 2014

State highlights: Ohio Medicaid and senior annuities; Mich. extends Medicaid dental coverage for kids

A war is being waged in Ohio over whether elderly couples with one person in a nursing home can buy an annuity to keep the other from going broke -- and still apply for public assistance. Elder-law attorneys say the state isn't following federal laws regarding Medicaid-compliant annuities, and that's hurting middle-class seniors who worked hard and saved for a rainy day. Several courts seem to agree, with one judge recently putting the state on notice that it could lose millions of dollars in federal funding if it doesn't change its ways (Pyle, 10/6).

7 Oct 2014

State highlights: Infant mortality rises in D.C.; Medicaid managed care rates

The District's infant mortality rate ticked up in 2012, city officials announced Wednesday -- an unwelcome development that comes amid the loss of a key federal grant and the launch of a new effort to reduce infant deaths (DeBonis, 10/1).

3 Oct 2014

State highlights: Fla. toughens drug compounding laws; Conn. hospitals leave largest insurer

A selection of health policy stories from Florida, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Arkansas.

1 Oct 2014

Today is the deadline for thousands to provide information to keep subsidies

The administration has notified more than 300,000 people that they need to provide documentation to keep their health insurance subsidies.

1 Oct 2014

State highlights: Calif. gov. vetoes bill limiting Medi-Cal estate recovery, signs birth control, inmate bills

In a blow to tens of thousands of low-income Californians newly enrolled in Medi-Cal under a provision in the Affordable Care Act, Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have limited the state's seizure of assets from their estates after they die -- a legal wrinkle that most only discovered after they had signed up for the health care plan for the poor (Seipel, 9/25).

27 Sep 2014

UC San Diego Health System physicians named "Top Docs"

More than 100 physicians from UC San Diego Health System were named "Top Docs" in the annual San Diego Magazine "Physicians of Exceptional Excellence" annual survey. These physicians represent 40 diverse specialties, from internal medicine and oncology to obstetrics, cardiovascular and surgical care.

26 Sep 2014

Wal-Mart and CVS eye expanded roles in health care delivery

Marketplace reports that Wal-Mart is opening up clinics in a handful of states, while Kaiser Health News details a the dynamics of a partnership between CVS and MedStar Health. Also, in Connecticut, a group of independent hospitals joins forces to gain the benefits of scale.

24 Sep 2014

Premium rate reviews saved $1 billion for consumers, HHS says

The health law mandated that state regulators review health insurance increases of 10 percent or more.

23 Sep 2014

UC San Diego SCVC named among "100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs"

UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center has been named among "100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs" by Becker's Hospital Review, a business and legal news publication for hospital and health system leadership.

22 Sep 2014

Competition among health exchange plans controlling prices, says Humana exec

President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare law will begin enrolling customers for 2015 benefits in mid-November. Now in its second year, Obamacare is attracting health insurers to offer plans in more states after over 8 million people enrolled for coverage in 2014. The country's largest insurer, UnitedHealth Group Inc, sold Obamacare plans in only a few states in 2014.

19 Sep 2014

Administrator of Paradise Valley Hospital named one of nation's "Rising Stars" in healthcare industry

Paradise Valley Hospital Administrator Neerav Jadeja has been named one of the nation's "Rising Stars" in the healthcare industry as part of the "25 Healthcare Leaders Under 40" list published by Becker's Hospital Review annually.

29 Aug 2014

Consumers unable to update healthcare.gov data with deadline looming

Hundreds of thousands of people risk losing subsidized health insurance if they don't resubmit immigration information by the end of next week, but many have been unable to comply because of glitches with healthcare.gov. Other stories look at the millions spent on healthcare.gov and at exchange developments in Connecticut, Oregon and Washington.

28 Aug 2014

Conn. exchange chief to tun Healthcare.gov

Federal officials tap Kevin Counihan, who helped launch Connecticut's successful online health insurance marketplace, to oversee the federal exchange, which is used by residents of three dozen states, and to prevent the problems that plagued it last fall.

28 Aug 2014

Exchange customers now receiving subsidies should review tax issues

The Associated Press examines the tax credit issue. Other outlets look at issues surrounding the state insurance marketplaces in California, Maryland, Illinois, Connecticut and Minnesota.

26 Aug 2014