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What We're Reading: Medicare for All; Irma Hospital Closures; Hospital Safety Violations
Bernie Sanders to Reveal Single-Payer Bill
While Congress considers how to best stabilize the individual insurance market, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, plans to unveil his “Medicare for All” bill. According to The Hill, the idea of a single-payer healthcare system is gaining traction within the Democratic Party, and Senator Kamala Harris, D-California, has already announced support for the bill. Sanders made a single payer system a focus of his 2016 presidential campaign.
Irma Forced 35 Hospitals to Close
As Hurricane Irma has approached the United States, its path has changed multiple times, causing trouble for hospitals potentially in the path. Hospitals in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina have order total or partial evacuations, with Florida evacuating nearly 1900 patients, reported STAT. However, the Florida Hospital Association reported that the majority of its member hospitals stayed open, because they felt they could weather the storm.
Hospital Accredited Despite Safety Violations
Despite serious safety issues at a hospital in Massachusetts, the Joint Commission made no change in the hospital’s accreditation. In an investigative piece, The Wall Street Journal took a look at how the Joint Commission approves accreditation for hospitals with serious problems. In 2014, 350 accredited hospitals were in violation or requirements and one-third of them had additional violations in the next 2 years. Even in instances where CMS cut off funding because of violations, the Joint Commission may not revoke accreditation.
Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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The Biden administration recently launched the Global Health Security Strategy, a new effort to combat the spread of infectious diseases; lawmakers zeroed in on the risks of massive consolidation in health care during the first congressional hearing on the Change Healthcare hack; the FDA recently announced the recall of a pair of heart devices linked to numerous deaths and injuries.
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Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
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