Latest California Healthline Stories
Medicaid Expansion Boosts Hospital Bottom Lines — And Prices
Colorado officials say hospitals are better off financially after the state expanded coverage to more low-income residents, but that hasn’t stopped them from shifting more costs to other insured patients.
She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her.
With mental health beds in short supply, emergency rooms increasingly have become the care of first and last resort for people in the grips of a psychiatric episode. Now, hospitals around the country are opening emergency units that calmly cater to patients with mental health needs.
Health Plans For State Employees Use Medicare’s Hammer On Hospital Bills
Some plans are experimenting with the idea of closely tying hospital reimbursement rates to what Medicare pays. The approach could be a game changer in their effort to control health costs.
State Laws Ban Surprise Medical Bills. She Got One for $227K And Fought Back.
No one told a Washington state woman she was racking up massive out-of-pocket charges during a month-long emergency stay in an Oregon hospital. For six months, she and her husband were haunted by looming debt — and bill collectors.
As Hospitals Post Price Lists, Consumers Are Asked To Check Up On Them
Most hospitals appear to be complying with the federal rule to post their prices online. Yet there is little follow-up by the government or industry and debate continues about whether the price lists are creating more confusion than clarity among consumers.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Medicare Trims Payments To 800 Hospitals, Citing Patient Safety Incidents
The penalties are part of a program set up by the Affordable Care Act to prompt hospitals to pay more attention to safety issues that can lead to injuries, such as falls or hospital-acquired infections In California, 99 hospitals out of 339 face penalties.
¡Miau-ch! Le cobran $48,152 por una droga contra la rabia
Una bióloga de Florida, amante de los animales, quiso alimentar a un gato callejero. Lo que siguió fue una pesadilla de gastos médicos inesperados.
An animal lover stopped to feed a hungry-looking stray cat outside Everglades National Park in Florida. First, the cat bit her finger — then the hospital billed her close to $50,000 for a treatment that typically costs about $3,000.
Discharged, Dismissed: ERs Often Miss Chance To Set Overdose Survivors On ‘Better Path’
Only a small percentage of people who survived an opioid overdose received in the next year some form of drug abuse treatment, according to an analysis of West Virginia Medicaid claims data. Experts say the findings underscore a national disconnect.