Health Industry

Latest California Healthline Stories

NICU Bill Installment Plan: That’ll Be $45,843 a Month for 12 Months, Please

After baby Dorian Bennett arrived two months early and spent more than 50 days in the neonatal ICU, his parents received a bill of more than $550,000 — despite having insurance. The Florida hospital had a not-so-helpful suggestion: monthly payments of more than $45,000 for a year.

Local Pharmacists Fill Rx Void as Big Brands Pull Out of Rural Areas

Stores like Walmart and Shopko opened pharmacies in small towns, either buying out the local pharmacy or driving it out of business. What happens when those chains later withdraw, leaving communities with no pharmacy?

Seeking Refills: Aging Pharmacists Leave Drugstores Vacant in Rural America

Independent pharmacists who want to retire often have trouble attracting new pharmacists to take over their practices, particularly in rural areas. That can cause smaller towns to lose their pharmacies. With many pharmacists near retirement, the problem may only get worse.

Nurses in Crisis Over Covid Dig In for Better Work Conditions

In tough labor negotiations across the nation, here’s what nurses don’t want: “appreciation that is lip service,” “marketing campaigns” and “shiny new buildings.” And this year might well prove to be a turning point in efforts to organize health care’s essential workers.

Suit by Doctors, Hospitals Seeks Change in How Arbitrators Settle Surprise Billing Cases

The American Medical Association and American Hospital Association are not arguing to halt the law that protects patients from unexpected bills from providers they didn’t know were outside their insurance network. Instead, they want to change the rules for the mediators who will settle the dispute between insurers and providers.

Some Montana Nonprofit Hospitals Fall Short of Peers in Required Charitable Giving

Montana nonprofit hospitals receive millions of dollars in tax exemptions as charities each year in exchange for giving back to their communities. A KHN review found that some of Montana’s richest medical centers are falling behind most state and national hospitals.