Healthcare Archives

Local Hospitals Prepare Patients For Costs

May 12, 2014 · Mark Reback

<div class="entry-content"> <div id="story"> As more people switch to health insurance policies with high deductibles in an effort to reduce their premiums, some hospitals around the country are asking patients undergoing elective procedures to pay more at the time of service rather than waiting to collect what they are owed. The reason, apparently, is that more patients are unable to pay the high deductibles, leaving their health-care providers stuck with bad debt. In Fort Wayne, though, the trend has not taken hold, local health care officials said.

Report: Rate-Regulation Measure Would Shake Up Covered California

May 8, 2014 · Mark Reback

A California ballot initiative allowing the state insurance commissioner to reject health insurance <a class="lingo_link lingo_link_hidden" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/rate+increases/" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;">rate increases</a> would disrupt the new health care overhaul, destabilizing negotiations between the exchange and insurance companies and inviting costly legal challenges by outside organizations, according to an analysis released Thu

5 Questions About Secret Deal Between Hospitals, Union

May 7, 2014 · Mark Reback

At least five big questions remain about the secret deal <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2014/05/06/california-hospitals-reach-a-deal-with-seiu.html">announced with fanfare</a> Tuesday between California hospitals and the largest health care union in the state. The California Hospital Association and Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West heralded a “visionary agreement” to work together to address issues of cost, efficiency and quality of care, but offered few specifics.

Consumer Watchdog Campaign: California Nurses Rally Against Kaiser’s $21.7 Billion In Excess Reserve And Endorse Health Insurance Rate Regulation Initiative To Return Billions Of Dollars To Patients

May 6, 2014 · Jamie Court

At a rally and press conference today, Kaiser nurses and consumer advocates exposed the fact that Kaiser Permanente has accumulated a reserve that is $21.7 billion – 1626 percent

SEIU, California Hospitals Will Create $100 Million State Medicaid Fund

May 6, 2014 · Mark Reback

Nation's Biggest Health-Care Union and the State's Hospital Industry Will Use Fund to Improve State Medicaid System The nation's biggest health-care union and the California hospital industry said Tuesday they had reached a multiyear deal to create a $100 million fund to improve a state-run Medicaid system they say falls short on hospital reimbursements.

San Diego Hunger Coalition: Our Health Cost Has Increased By 58% Since 2007

May 1, 2014 · rob

<img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2828" alt="" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/images_san_diego_hunger_c_-_jennifer_tracy_pic.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 250px; margin: 7px; float: right;" width="120" height="120" />My name is Jennifer Tracy, and I am the Executive Director of the San Diego Hunger Coalition (SDHC). SDHC was founded in 2007 with the mission to reduce hunger and food insecurity in San Diego. Between 2007 and 2011, the number of households relying on the help of CalFresh (formerly known as food stamps) to put food on their tables has grown by 185% i

More Scrutiny For UCLA’s School of Medicine

April 25, 2014 · Mark Reback

In the wake of a $10-million payout to a whistleblower, UCLA's School of Medicine is drawing more scrutiny over its financial ties to industry and the possibility that they compromised patient care.

New Database Reveals Medicare Payments To North Coast Doctors

April 25, 2014 · Mark Reback

More than 1,000 physicians on the North Coast received upward of $114 million in Medicare payments in 2012, according a new federal database that gives consumers an unprecedented look inside their doctors' practices. The amount is part of $77 billion Medicare paid out to more than 880,000 doctors across the United States under the Medicare Part B fee-for-service program. The federal government says release of the data is aimed at giving the public, policymakers and researchers a detailed view of government health care spending and physician practice patterns.

Health Insurance Rate Regulation Foes Flex Fundraising Muscle

April 21, 2014 · Mark Reback

Good Friday was a good day for opponents of a ballot initiative to regulate health insurance prices. The coalition of doctors, hospitals and insurance companies last week reported collecting nearly $24 million from <a class="lingo_link" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Blue+Shield/" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;">Blue Shield</a> of California and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. Half of the money was listed as loans to the campaign.

A Death Sentence Through Medical Carelessness

April 2, 2014 · Mark Reback

<img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2763" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/images_marydouglasmm_0.jpg" style="width: 224px; height: 217px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="224" height="217" />Mara Douglas - Bonita, CA

California Measure To Raise Malpractice Cap Gets High-Profile Backer

March 31, 2014 · Mark Reback

(Reuters) - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer endorsed a proposed California ballot initiative on Monday to raise the state's cap on medical malpractice awards, the first salvo in a political fight between lawyers backing the measure and doctors who oppose it. Consumer advocates in the most populous U.S. state submitted signatures last week to place a measure on the November ballot that would raise a four-decade-old state cap on medical malpractice awards to $1.1 million, from $250,000.

Boxer Supports Danville Coupleâ€™s MICRA Measure