The week in healthcare reform
“The scrutiny insurers faced last year after reporting such high profits — in some cases doubling the amount they made the year before — has largely faded away.”
Pandemic Profits: Top US Health Insurers Make Billions in Second Quarter
The Guardian | Amanda Holpuch | August 6, 2021
“The Federal Trade Commission has been hit by a ‘tidal wave’ of merger filings and cannot review them all before required deadlines.”
FTC Warns It May Challenge Deals Later as It’s Hit by ‘Tidal Wave’ of Merger Filings
Healthcare Dive | Samantha Liss | August 4, 2021
“The high U.S. death toll during the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the difficulty of achieving good health care outcomes if the population is sicker and access to preventive and primary care is limited….”
Commonwealth Fund | Eric C. Schneider, Arnav Shah, Michelle M. Doty, Roosa Tikkanen, Katharine Fields, Reginald D. Williams II | August 4, 2021
“In 2019 alone, nonexpansion states could have prevented more than 50,000 cases of catastrophic financial burden had they expanded Medicaid.”
Study: Medicaid Expansion Cuts Down Uninsured Surgical Hospitalizations
Fierce Healthcare | Paige Minemyer | August 3, 2021
“The ban announced Tuesday could help keep millions in their homes as the coronavirus’ delta variant has spread and states have been slow to release federal rental aid.”
CDC Issues New Eviction Ban for Most of US Through Oct. 3
Associated Press | Josh Boak, Lisa Mascaro, and Jonathan Lemire | August 4, 2021
“The Dallas-based chain [Tenet] posted a $120 million profit in Q2, compared to $88 million during the same time last year….”
For-Profit Hospitals Saw Volumes Rebound in Q2, But Delta Variant Poses Threat
Healthcare Dive | Staff | August 2, 2021
“…it can be hard to tell whether a doctor or administrator’s advice is coming from a place of caution or concern or a desire to milk a patient’s healthcare plan for more money.”
The Medical-Industrial Complex: When Patient-Doctor Interactions are Tainted by the Profit Motive
Salon | Matthew Rozsa | July 31, 2021
“The Medicare Advantage Program maintains the health of millions, and wrongful acts that defraud the program cannot continue and will be pursued.”
US Sues Kaiser Permanente Over Alleged Medicare Fraud
Associated Press | Staff | July 30, 2021
“The suits allege that since 2009 [Kaiser Permanente] systematically pressured doctors to amend medical records by adding ‘diagnoses that patients did not actually have’ in order to receive higher Medicare reimbursements.’”
Feds Join Lawsuit Alleging Kaiser Permanente Medicare Fraud
Bay City News | Staff | July 30, 2021
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