Highlights of state: retiree benefits of deficits; requests for data on the health and cost -
A selection of health policy stories from California, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire , Virginia, Iowa, Florida, Missouri, Washington, Connecticut, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee
the Wall Street Journal :. accounting changes proposed to the State, City plans retiree-benefit
states and cities could be forced to declare at least half a trillion dollars of additional costs on their books under proposed rules that shine a harsher light on the growing burden of health insurance for retired workers and other benefits. The proposals, unveiled on Monday by a group accounting standards would require state and local governments to add retiree benefit promises to their balance sheets, which makes the overall fiscal position of governments seems worse. In addition, many governments should change the way they calculate their benefit obligations in a way that could make their deficits appear bigger than they do now (Rapoport, 6/16)
Stateline :. Q & A: Can Cost claims data Crack The Riddle Health Care?
Nearly a decade before the Affordable Care Act, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and some other states began to create all-payer claims database (APCDS). Acting as a trusted third party, they began to require all commercial insurance carriers within their borders to submit their claims data, including prices paid by consumers. Over the past three years, the number of states that invest in these laborious data collection projects has accelerated. Nineteen states have APCDS in the development stages and at least 21 states are considering legislation to create the variant, according to the APCD Board, which helps states set up insurance databases (Vestal, 6 / 17).
Los Angeles Times: California Word extends the Elderly, frail
California parole officials said Monday the state is ready to begin the early release of elderly and frail inmates who meet to new criteria for parole. Details of the program were made public for the first time at a meeting of the Board of Parole Hearings. They were ordered by a panel of federal judges earlier this year as part of the necessary steps, the state must take to reduce jail crowding to acceptable levels (St. John, 6/16)
Los Angeles Times :. Bills targeting Sweetened Sodas, plastic bags, Grease Theft Survive
What carbonated sugar drinks loaded, fragile plastic bags and cooking fat used have in common? They are the subject of a controversial law in Sacramento. So far they have survived a gauntlet lobbying and multiple committees and floor votes to get it out of the Senate or the Assembly, where they started a few months ago - along with thousands of other proposals. In all, lawmakers this session have introduced 2,766 bills in the House and the Senate in 1467 (Lifsher, 6/15)
The Washington Post :. New Free Clinic in Chantilly Serves patients Loudoun, Fairfax
The low-income people who do not have health insurance can obtain medical services to a new free clinic in Chantilly. The Adams Compassionate Healthcare Network, a non-profit arm of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, officially opened the clinic on June 8 with an inaugural ceremony at the ADAMS Center Sully. An interdenominational team of volunteers and other health professionals doctors donate their services on Saturday at the clinic, the ADAMS officials describe as "the first Muslim initiative organized in Virginia, which aims to meet the comprehensive health care needs all qualifications, people with low income (Barnes, 6/16)
of Moines Register :. Number of documents in Iowa increases
Iowa continues to see a steady increase in physician supply, despite dire predictions that doctors flee the profession because big changes in health care. A new report from the Council of Iowa Medical said 6829 doctors worked in the state last year. It was up 2 percent from 2012 and up 12 percent from 06. Iowa continues to have fewer physicians per capita than the average of the United States, and he faces the shortage of important physicians in some medical specialties and rural areas. But overall, the supply of Iowa physicians increased much faster than the population over the past three decades condition (Leys, 6/16).
Baltimore Sun: Midwife Practice Finds New Home In spite of the medical expenses Malpractice
a practice popular midwife whose partnership with Mercy Medical Center ends because of rising malpractice costs found a new home to the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. Mercy said midwives in October, it was breaking ties after two cases of medical malpractice high level, although unrelated to the hospital, had driven up the cost of insurance and that he was looking for ways to ease the financial pressure. Midwives had worried about whether they would be able to find another hospital partner because of cost and feared women would have less access to care. Mercy has covered more than $ 50,000 a year in insurance costs against malpractice for each midwife to practice (Walker, 6/16).
ProPublica: Iowa Court Tosses Sentence In the case of HIV exposure
After a legal battle of three years, the highest court in Iowa has thrown out the sentence of Nick Rhoades, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison and lifetime sex offender registration for criminal transmission of HIV. Rhoades, whose case was the focus of a ProPublica investigation published last year, pleaded guilty to the charge in 09 after failing to notify a sexual partner once he was HIV positive. In a 6-1 decision last week, the Supreme Court of Iowa Rhoades overturned the sentence, saying his trial counsel provided ineffective advice when he allowed Rhoades to plead guilty to a charge for which he does there was no factual basis (Hernandez, 6/16).
Miami Herald: Florida Governor Rick Scott Signs Medical Marijuana Bill
As promised, Governor Rick Scott signed a bill Monday that legalizes the use of a strain non- euphoric marijuana to treat conditions such as epilepsy, Lou Gehrig's disease, and cancer. He signed the bill the Senate in 1030, which approves the drug, and SB 1700, which protects the identity of the patients who use it (a Klas Mitchell, 6/16).
Miami Herald: First announcement of Democrats in Old Theme: Rick Scott and Medicare fraud
first Democratic Party TV spot of the Florida governor's race in 2014 airs this week and attack Gov. Rick Scott on an old weakness: the Medicare fraud. "Maybe you've heard of what was the largest Medicare fraud in history, committed when Rick Scott was a CEO," the ad says. "Or that Scott's company paid record fines for fraud of $ 1.7 billion." If you have not heard, your memory is bad or if you do not put on a TV in Florida during the height of the 2010 elections, when Republican rival Scott and his Democratic opponent made sure voters knew the fine paid by 1997 Columbia / HCA, a company of the hospital built Scott (Caputo, 6/17)
Carolina public release / NC Health News :. Racial disparities persist in WNC Infant mortality
Shortly after the second child of Demekia Kincaid, Lamar, was born, she noticed that something was wrong. As a member of the hospital staff bathed the newborn, his breathing seemed different, as he was breathing hard. Although she was sure he was OK, the problem has worsened. Lamar spent seven days in the neonatal intensive care unit of the Mission Hospital. He is now a healthy 15 month, who likes to shout, "Stop!" Kincaid said with a laugh. And she said he should not have long-term effects of the problem. But Throughout North Carolina, black children are dying at higher rates than white children, a disparity that persists in the western mountainous counties of the state (Rose, 6/16).
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Sharing Work Ministries healthcare for members
Health care sharing Samaritan Ministries came through when the wife of Walter McCaslin had to have a replacement knee $ 50,000 a year ago. McCaslin, Wood River, said the approach non-insurance company based Christian nonprofit health care needs has been phenomenal. "We did not pay a penny," he said of the company based in Peoria that has been operating since 1994. "Samaritan Ministries covered the entire amount." Unlike insurance, when a medical need arises among members Samaritan Ministries, his name is on a list sent to members monthly through the national grid. Members then send the checks to the patient to cover the bills (Luster, 6/16).
Seattle Times: Whistleblower Testifies Before State Senators on the fairness of the OIC
state senators on Monday heard testimony about whether people and businesses that call question the decisions of some state agencies get a fair chance. Specifically, the Committee of Law and Justice of the Senate held a working meeting to delve into the role of the administrative hearing officer presiding disputes Office of Insurance. They considered three ideas that could be fashioned in proposed laws that would give agents more independent hearing when deciding cases (Stiffler, 6/16).
The CT Mirror: Digital Town Hall: Caregiving and Aging In Connecticut
Connecticut officials describe as the "silver tsunami" The population of the state of elderly is expected to rise considerably in the next decade, while the working-age population shrinks. This should bring a growing need for caregivers - both people who care for others professionally and those who do it for free, for love or obligation, to friends or family members. To understand some of the consequences of these changes, The Mirror hosted a digital hall of the city on care and aging in Connecticut, with panelists Anne Foley, undersecretary of the office of the state of politics and management; Sen. Kevin Kelly, a Stratford Republican who works as a lawyer in law of the elderly; and Amy Goyer, an expert on care and families with AARP (6/16)
Georgia Health News :. Transplant "equity" Issues To Panel, Georgians
A committee on liver transplants said Monday that reducing the nation's number transplant regions - from the current 11 to four - could save hundreds of lives. The United Network for Organ Sharing panel said his goal of the initiative is to reduce the current geographical variation in patient access to transplants ... "concept paper" of his liver Committee released on Monday, says changing the number of regions to four would lead to a reduction of 581 deaths of people on a liver transplant waiting list ... But the idea of such a change has already been draw fire in Georgia (Miller, 6/16)
Modern Healthcare :. UnitedHealth continues to cut Medicare Advantage
suppliers UnitedHealth Group continues to remove doctors from its provider networks for Medicare Advantage plans in states across the country. In recent weeks, doctors in Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Tennessee have received notifications that their services are no longer covered for patients with United plans. The insurer based in Minnetonka Minnesota, does not release how many doctors are eliminated in each state. But a spokesman said the company plans to reduce its network by up to 85 percent to 0 percent of their 2013 size Physicians will have the opportunity to appeal the decision (Demko, 6/16).
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